This is not a wish-fulfillment novel.
This is not a novel about charming men.
I asked the heroine, Jiang Zinan, “Do you want to date the male lead, Qi Zhize?”
Jiang Zinan: “Hah. Men only slow down how fast I can draw my blade.”
I said, “Why not give it a try? Qi Zhize is pretty impressive too. He’s a big shot in the gray zones of the cyber world.”
Jiang Zinan: “Hah. How dare a mortal presume to stand beside a god?”
I said, “Don’t be so stubborn. Won’t you regret it if you end up sacrificing yourself to save everyone?”
Jiang Zinan: “I am a descendant of the ancient Shennong clan, the head of a family that ushered in the Three Sovereigns and opened the heavens. I cannot escape hardship, and regret is the norm.”
I said, “Then think about me for a moment. If you sacrifice yourself for the common people and Qi Zhize comes out on top, readers will think I’m trying to make the men look good!”
Jiang Zinan: “Oh? Aren’t you?”
Me: “…” Damn it.
I refused to give up. “Wouldn’t you miss Jiang Lan, Jiang Zhan, the brother and sister, and Yao Yi’an in the gray zones?”
Jiang Zinan looked me in the eye, earnest. “I’d miss them. But they have their own paths to follow, and I have a home to return to.”
Me: “If you keep being this stubborn, I’ll drug you two!”
Jiang Zinan: “Hah. Trying to make the men look good.”
Me: “…Aren’t you afraid I’ll make Qi Zhize sacrifice himself and have you rule the cyber world?”
Jiang Zinan: “Him? Hah. Sacrifice him for anything you like, it won’t work!”
I asked through tears, “Can’t you give me a chance to write a sweet romance? I really want to get a publishing contract!”
Jiang Zinan: “Stop crying. You’re making the road home dirty.”
Theme: The heart you spend your whole life searching for, the one that favors you, has been beating in your own chest all along.
