I'm in a Tragic Romance, but I'm Disguised as a Man

[After discussing it with my editor, this story will officially go premium after Chapter 12, starting on August 9.]

[Pick your favorite! One-on-one pairings for each arc! The heroine is no good person.]

What should you do when you transmigrate into a novel as the cannon-fodder white moonlight of the abused male lead?

Xia Ziyi, apocalypse assassin: Disguise herself as a man and laze around doing nothing.

Before: Training, fighting, betrayal, death, abandonment, injuries...

Now: Eat, eat, eat. Damn it, eat some more.

Having left a resource-starved, socially collapsed apocalypse for a new world, Xia Ziyi is utterly determined to indulge in it.

After disguising herself as a man, she somehow ends up in the 101 boy-band survival show. There she discovers that the abused male lead, the villainous second male lead, the gentle third male lead, and the passionate fourth male lead are all contestants, and they are looking at her in increasingly strange ways.

*

Qiao Ran is rebellious and unrestrained, doing whatever he pleases. Since childhood, he's been like a little devil nobody can keep in check.

Countless people have sent women to his bed. He throws them out like garbage.

He says: “Bland. Tasteless.”

His brother asks: “What would make it not bland and tasteless?”

Later, he meets someone who isn't bland or tasteless.

The first time they meet, she's easy to fool. The next time, he's locked on a rooftop, slapped, grabbed by the belt, and kissed by force...

Qiao Ran falls head over heels and does everything he can to get her to make their relationship official.

But before he can even enjoy having a girlfriend, she dumps him without warning.

Qiao Ran begs her: “Why? If I'm no good, I'll change anything!”

Resting her head on her hand, she says nonchalantly: “Your skills are pretty average. A well-behaved puppy is more my type.”

Aaaah!

Who stole my girl? I'll kill him!

*

Ever since he was little, his elders have taught Gu Chao that he should repay someone who saves his life by marrying them.

But he has been saved by two people, and he only has one body, so of course he should give himself to the second one.

Besides, his benefactor is like an adorable kitten, as elusive as the wind.

He falls in love with her at second sight and decides to use a few little tricks to make her his.

But he gradually realizes there are too many flies buzzing around her.

His little cat has an entangled ex and an overly enthusiastic current flame, but that's fine. She's naive and innocent, barely understands love, so he doesn't blame her. What could they possibly offer her? None of them are worthy of her.

She wants what he can give her, and he can give her everything.

He will take her for himself.

She will bear children only for him, and love only him.

Why? Because no one else knows how to love her, but he does.

*

Sheng Chi is a voice fan who falls for a gamer online.

The gamer has a sweet voice, a cute face, and incredible gaming skills.

The weekend after they make their relationship official, he nervously waits to meet them at a cafe.

But the person who appears across from him looks remarkably like Xia Ye, his fellow trainee who debuted in his idol group. They look at least fifty percent alike.

Their relationship is sweet and loving.

Then one day, he spots a familiar hickey on Xia Ye's neck.

...Uh, did he... fall in love with a cross-dressing guy?

Sheng Chi is dumbfounded: “...”

Waaah... Waaah... Where's the wife I thought I had?

Reader's Guide:

1. The heroine is irresistible, a total Mary Sue. Everyone likes her.

2. The heroine is incredibly strong, and the story isn't limited to the entertainment industry. Whoever gets popular becomes the male lead.

3. The current male candidates are Gu Chao, Qiao Ran, Sheng Chi, and Teng Mobai. I'll add more if they show up later.

3. No writing advice, please. If you absolutely have to, be gentle. I'm a little fragile and might break.

Theme: Turn the tables from the very first move, even when starting at a disadvantage.