[Collecting follows before opening. Head to my profile for three tastier tropes to choose from! I'll write them, promise. My other book, The Chivalrous Hero's Journey, is already complete and ready to binge!]
Unemployed Huai Ming'an transmigrated into a book, becoming a sickly, beautiful, wicked-minded villain destined to be a sacrificial extra.
Huai Ming'an: I know this routine. Is this about a comeback, following the plot, or conquest?
The Universally Useless System: None of those! You need to make the rankings!
It turned out to be an obscure novel that had flopped and ended badly. His goal was to collect "readability points" and make its paid subscriptions soar until it topped the charts.
Since it was a power fantasy, and as an unemployed man who'd read countless novels, he knew exactly what made a story satisfying. Huai Ming'an rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
Adjust the direction of the story: [Readability points +10]
Train hard to make a comeback: [Readability points +10]
Work to uphold justice: [Readability points +10]
Pat his good buddy on the head: [Readability points +10086]
Huai Ming'an: ? Why do I have a bad feeling about this? What kind of book is this?
System: A danmei novel from a certain website.
Huai Ming'an: ?! Why didn't you say so earlier!
In an instant, he was back where he started, and his butt seemed to ache in phantom pain. Looking at his good buddy, covered in blood, he suddenly remembered that this novel seemed to have a tragic-love-hate tag.
After spending ages working up the courage, he said nervously, "Um, I wanted to talk to you about something. Could we... have one of those tragic, love-hate relationships?"
Qi Ye curled his lips into a sweet, cloying smile. "Sure."
*
Qi Ye, young master of the Lingqian Sect, had been left outside as a child. He was found and raised by Huai Ming'an, senior disciple of the Qinghua Sect, but before his sect could reclaim him, Huai Ming'an tortured him to death.
After being reborn, Qi Ye was filled with hatred. He decided to act submissive toward the scoundrel, then take his head once he returned to his sect.
But he discovered that Huai Ming'an had changed.
There were no beatings or verbal abuse, only gentle words and a soft, fragrant embrace... and a proposal that they share a tragic love-hate relationship.
Whenever he found an opportunity, he meant to kill Huai Ming'an, but each time he ended up blushing and losing his nerve in that soft, sweet embrace.
He thought Huai Ming'an was merely pretending to be nice, and would eventually show his true colors.
But when the final battle came and a sword was held to his throat, Huai Ming'an did nothing more than gently brush his hair aside before... falling off a cliff to his death.
Qi Ye was deeply shaken and consumed with guilt and remorse. He searched like a madman for Huai Ming'an's remains for ten years, but never found them.
He thought they would never meet again in this life. Then one day, in a teahouse in a small northern frontier town, he saw a familiar figure having tea.
[Reading Notes]
1. Obsessive, gloomy gong x funny, cheerful little sun. Both leads are sexually inexperienced and have only ever been with each other. The gong hates the original body's owner. After the shou fakes his death, he will return to his own appearance. The gong loves the shou's soul! Other details to be decided.
2. Blurb finalized on October 4, 2026, and screenshotted. The blurb may change at any time before the book opens.
Theme: A twist of fate and a fortunate coincidence
