Cui Shiying transmigrates into The Road to Glory for Noble Ladies, a hugely popular interactive historical romance game.
The System tells her that if she follows the options, maxes out affection, wins over the male lead, and manages the household, she'll reach the perfect ending.
At a garden banquet, Cui Shiying glances at the options, which reek of old-fashioned melodrama, and raises an eyebrow.
[A. Weep sadly to attract attention. (Reward: Delicate Charm +5)]
[B. Spill tea and get drenched to make him feel sorry for you. (Reward: Tea-Serving Skills +3)]
She laughs. This isn't a road to glory for noble ladies. It's a guide to enduring humiliation and depending on men to survive.
She raises her hand and makes a forceful swipe at the nonexistent choice menu floating in the air.
The screen flashes violently, crackling with static, and a garbled [C] appears.
[Please... please choose again. You must follow the plot.] The System's electronic voice stutters.
Cui Shiying ignores it and walks toward her elder sister, surrounded by a crowd nearby. She gathers her elaborate skirt, and under the shocked gazes of everyone in the hall, turns sideways and kicks.
Splash.
Water sprays everywhere. The garden falls silent. The male lead, who had been so pleased with his own charm moments ago, is floundering in the icy pond with duckweed on his head.
[Warning! Severe warning! The Host's actions have seriously deviated from the main plot! This is the central male lead! This is a sweet romance! A sweet romance!]
Cui Shiying says impatiently, "What's all the noise? Weren't you the one who told me to choose? I choose C: kick him into the water and give him a refreshing wake-up call."
From then on, the System teeters on the verge of a breakdown every day.
When the plot reaches [A chance meeting by the lake, where the male lead reminisces about his first love], the options appear: [A. Stay by his side in silence. B. Comfort him with a poem.]
Cui Shiying picks up a rock, weighs it in her hand, and takes aim at the still water by the male lead's feet.
Plunk! Countless mandarin ducks scatter, and the male lead's melancholy is startled right out of him.
When the plot reaches [Framed by others], Cui Shiying ignores the System yet again and ends up locked in a chilly ancestral shrine.
After one provocation too many, the System can't take it anymore. It shocks her as punishment and issues an emergency mission: [Serve tea and apologize to repair your image. Complete this and your punishment will be waived.]
As soon as the mission is issued, the System sees her get up and hears the shrine door creak open. It's about to cheer, but then Cui Shiying says to the blurry figure outside, "Hey, could you break off a table leg for me? Use it to start a fire. It's too cold."
The villainous second male lead, dragged into this by accident, looks at the threadbare prayer cushion she's holding out to him. "..."
*
One day, the villainous second male lead blocks Cui Shiying beneath a covered walkway, his gaze dark and deep.
"You always seem to defy the will of heaven."
He raises a hand, and an identical screen appears before him.
His mission is to make her follow the rules and marry respectably.
She looks wary and is about to strike, but then he says:
"What a coincidence. So do I."
He takes her hand, and together they select a new option.
[Team up to smash this plot. We'll make our own ending.]
Theme: Human will can triumph over fate.
