In some novels, scumbags are stepping stones that help the protagonists transform and sever ties with their past.
But the System discovered that something seemed a little off about the scumbag Host it had bound itself to!
In a dating-show novel, the Host played a gold-digging scumbag who was secretly dating someone he emotionally manipulated, while openly flirting with the other contestants.
The poor victim he had manipulated was supposed to come to their senses, kick him to the curb, and go on to live a life admired by everyone. Meanwhile, the scumbag Host was meant to be mired in scandal after getting dumped, attacked by fans and the victim's wealthy suitors, and ultimately ruined and broken.
The little scumbag joined the dating show and, sure enough, raised hell. He demanded the freshest fruit, insisted on being carried if he had to walk more than a few steps, and constantly complained that his partner was too poor to give him a good life.
Every contestant and staff member on the show had to revolve around him. He'd sulk whenever he was unhappy, and he was always chasing money.
System: This is definitely going to work.
But in reality...
The victim didn't come to their senses at all. Instead, they fell deeper and deeper, coaxing the little scumbag until he let them into his heart.
The high-quality contestant who was supposed to pursue the victim changed course and began using connections, resources, and money to woo the little scumbag.
Unable to stand by, the System went online to smear him, only to be besieged by netizens: "What do you know? He's just a little spoiled and wants to live well. How does that make him a scumbag?!"
System: ?
In a wealthy-family novel, the Host played a man who latched onto a rich young master and shamelessly lived off him.
The young master, who had fallen hopelessly in love with the Host, was supposed to be rescued from heartbreak by a powerful benefactor. After losing his wealthy lover, the scumbag Host was meant to regret everything, return to the countryside, raise chickens and ducks, and live out his days in lonely disgrace.
After hooking up with the young master, the Host did indeed order him around, demanding expensive gifts while berating his lover for insulting him with money. He insisted that he hadn't gotten together with him for the money.
When the young master's friends in their social circle heard about it, they all took his side. They piled into luxury cars and headed over to warn the gold-digger to know his place.
System: How could this possibly go wrong?
But when the young master's friends arrived in a furious huff at the mansion he'd bought for the scumbag, they found the scumbag sitting on the young master's lap, his eyes red from being kissed.
Their expressions changed at once. "Actually, we're pretty well-off too, and we're generous spenders. Would you consider getting together with us?"
Even the powerful benefactor who was supposed to be mutually healing with the young master began approaching the scumbag, competing with everyone else to win him over.
System: ????
In an apocalypse novel, the Host was a scumbag who feared death and abandoned his lover.
In a court-politics novel, the Host was a top scholar who abandoned his old love to climb the ladder of power.
Yet in the end, this little scumbag not only escaped punishment, but was adored by everyone.
The System bounced up and down in a panic. "Why isn't anyone punishing him?!"
Everyone: "What scumbag? He's just a spoiled little darling who can't handle hardship. That doesn't make him a scumbag at all!"
Theme: Strive for a better life