Yanshan Is So Heartless

(Under revision)

Ding Fei has been transported into a cultivation romance game, where ten handsome male leads are waiting for her to win them over.

The System says there is also a hidden male lead, an immortal who has descended to the mortal world to undergo a trial. The two shared a passionate but tragic romance in their previous lives. Only if she finds happiness in love in this life can the immortal resolve his past entanglement, return to his immortal station, and avert the coming apocalypse a hundred years from now.

In other words, all she has to do is fall in love to save the world.

A Fei (muttering, "What's all that gibberish? Press F to skip the NPC dialogue"): This sounds like a lot of trouble... Oh, save the world, right? Got it.

System: Mm-hm. Wait, what? ...Something doesn't seem right?

-

A Fei joins Yanshan, where her awful aptitude earns her nothing but scorn. Then she causes a huge disaster and brings on a flood.

(Male Lead One) Her gentle, handsome martial uncle: You can ask me for help. Whatever you ask, I will do.

A Fei: You should've said so sooner. I've already rallied the people and soldiers to dig the canals. The army and the people are one family, after all.

A Fei leaves the mountain to gain experience, accidentally breaks the demonic sect's formation, and is hunted down by its members.

(Male Lead Two) The powerful prince: I won't let you die!

A Fei: I won't let myself die, either. I'll just fake my death with a little trick. Otherwise, how could I save you all?

After earning merit for vanquishing demons, A Fei follows the prince into the palace, where the chief eunuch orders her to "attend the emperor's bed."

(Male Lead Three) A peach-eyed young thief: I'll steal you away from this palace!

A Fei: No need. I heard from a eunuch that the young emperor is a socially anxious introvert. Let's see how I, an extrovert, can win him over.

(Male Lead Four)

(Male Lead Five)

Later,

The master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion crafts a weapon just for her;

The empress of Weizhou entrusts her with the throne and her children;

Every member of the world's greatest martial arts sect swears brotherhood with her.

From an ordinary person with no spiritual roots, unable to cultivate immortality,

she goes on to win the cultivation tournament, found an academy for the people to cultivate immortality, and lead the people of all five continents in forming a human-powered reversal formation, successfully thwarting the apocalypse!

At the opening ceremony, A Fei gives a speech:

"Come sing with me: 'There has never been a savior,

Nor can we rely on gods or emperors.

To create happiness for humanity,

We must rely entirely on ourselves.'"

Pre-release: Be Careful with the Candles, a cyberpunk sci-fi battle royale, a fan's challenge project.

"[Litai City Talent Development Bureau] Dear job seeker: Congratulations on becoming one of Litai City's rising talents! Your application for the 'Young Talent Housing Plan' special benefits has been approved. If you successfully sign an employment contract with a company in our city, 150,000 yuan in housing funds will be deposited into your Litai Bank account within three business days. These funds are restricted to the following uses: 1. QR-code payments at local brick-and-mortar businesses only (rent, home furnishings, supermarkets, and more); 2. Direct payments through the city's affordable housing platform are supported; 3. Interbank transfers and purchases outside the city are prohibited. We build homes to attract talent. Litai looks forward to building a future with you!"

Zhaoge read the text message over and over, then asked the headhunter in disbelief, "Is this for real? They give you 150,000 yuan for rent after you start working?"

She had just graduated from college and joined the rat race. With no family to support her and a meager salary, she could only share an apartment in an old neighborhood an hour's subway ride from work.

Headhunter: "Of course it's real."

Zhaoge: "But I can't find Litai City on the map."

Headhunter: "You don't understand. It's a rising technology hub built to compete with America. They keep all kinds of support programs under wraps."

Zhaoge: "With such a great policy, why didn't they come to our school to promote it?"

Headhunter: "Because the policy is so good. If everyone knew about it, do you think you'd still get a spot?"

That made sense.

But Zhaoge still thought it over carefully for a few days. Then she caught her male roommate using the toilet standing up with the door open... Forced to clean and disinfect the entire toilet, Zhaoge finally made up her mind and quit her job in Beijing.

She couldn't find any train or plane tickets to Litai City, so, at the headhunter's recommendation, she bought a train ticket to a nearby city. The headhunter would take her and the other job seekers into Litai City together.

The bus was packed with chattering graduates. They were all looking forward to a wonderful new life in their ideal city.

The next day.

Leaving the towering office building where she'd interviewed, Zhaoge looked around at the orderly steel jungle. Technology's beauty was everywhere, and passersby wore happy smiles.

She opened the encrypted app on her phone.

Codename [Candle]: "Teacher, get here now! A scam syndicate has built an entire city... I can't take it down on my own!"

*

Zhaoge had thought her mission would be simple: go undercover at a telecom fraud compound, rescue her best friend who had been lured there, and send the intel to the real authorities.

It wasn't until she boarded the train that could never leave Litai City that she realized the most foolish hunter never knew, even as he died, that he was the prey.

Theme: People can triumph over fate.