The Big Orange Cat Starts Over: I Rule the Harem as CEO

Chen Daxing, 35, is an organizational restructuring manager at a major corporation, a KPI fanatic. The first person eliminated by the layoff process he designed himself was him. When he opens his eyes, he's become the Yongzheng Emperor from Empresses in the Palace, the man who was supposedly angered to death: the big fat orange cat.

The System binds to him, greeting him with: "Congratulations, boss. Your second life starts from the start. Main quest: Don't get poisoned, and while you're at it, cut costs and boost efficiency in the Forbidden City."

And so the Forbidden City's style changes completely: nights with the emperor are assigned by lottery, consorts receive monthly stipends, the imperial harem introduces KPI performance reviews, and quarterly team-building events are scheduled. Consort Hua takes up square dancing, An Lingrong becomes the arts and crafts class representative, and Zhen Huan doesn't enter the palace, instead becoming my strongest partner.

But this book is coldly trying to force everything back into its original tragedy. Every person he saves is replaced by someone new who turns evil; every plot point he changes prompts the world's will to issue a patch. I have only three ironclad rules: "Don't kill characters from the original story. Changing someone's fate costs merit. And if I get angry enough... I'll turn into an orange cat on the spot."

The System informs the boss: This job calls for extra pay.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any similarities are purely coincidental. Do not imitate.