I Made It Big in the 1980s by Getting Everyone Fired Up

[My new novel, Falling for the Director on a Dating Show Full of Love Rivals, is now underway! If you're interested, please add it to your collection~]

Liang Xin never imagined that a chipped tooth from cracking a pine nut would send her into a period novel as the heroine's doomed cousin.

Liang Xin: If fate grabs me by the throat, I'll flip it flat on its back.

Liang Xin not only has a bad reputation for being a slacker, but keeps embarrassing herself because she has none of the original owner's memories.

Luckily, she has a pep-talk System. By giving people rousing speeches and motivational advice, she inspires them to stay positive, earns points, and buys modern products from the System shop.

With her left hand, she buys a set of exam prep books and helps her whole class improve their grades. Every day, people show up at her house with gifts, sneaking in to ask for tutoring.

With her right hand, she buys a batch of sunglasses, resells industrial goods, helps her mother open a restaurant, and helps her father weather the wave of layoffs.

She meant to keep her good deeds quiet, but somehow became the city's famous little ray of sunshine.

Years later, a reporter visits Liang Xin's hometown of Bin City to interview the businesswoman. To the reporter's surprise, everyone in town gives her a thumbs-up when her name comes up.

"Liang Xin? I know her, I know her! That little prodigy was on TV!"

"I went to high school with her. She was like a little sun. With her around, you had motivation and hope!"

"If I hadn't been in the same class as Liang Xin, I never would've gotten into college."

Xu Jiaxing suffered his first setback at a woman's hands because of Liang Xin. He'd merely rejected her in public, yet she framed him and turned the matter into a public-opinion campaign to pressure him.

Xu Jiaxing: I can't handle this kind of devotion.

He planned to steer clear of her, but Liang Xin wouldn't give up. To get his attention, she not only studied hard, but staged chance encounters at every opportunity.

Later, when Xu Jiaxing hesitantly told Liang Xin that he needed to focus on his studies for now, but might accept her once they were in college, Liang Xin backed away in alarm.

Xu Jiaxing: Heh. Women are all liars.

A sharp, capable little money-lover vs. a lovestruck guy who makes up his own romance

Advance Notice 1: Falling for the Director on a Dating Show Full of Love Rivals

#Top Variety Show Director Jin Han Is Making a Dating Show#

#Jin Han + The Law of Attraction#

The hot searches exploded. Netizens shook their heads. What fun could there be in making a show with a bunch of amateur contestants who couldn't act, following the same tired old script? Director Jin was probably running out of ideas.

After the show aired, netizens said:

"Holy crap, are these people ridiculously good-looking or what?"

"What is this? Why is this dating show kind of a brain teaser? It's practically a game of Werewolf!"

"Ahhh, this is so dramatic and exciting! A dream come true for fans of messy romance. Keep fighting! The whole cast being awful is so fun to watch!"

Ji Xiaoxiao, an ordinary-looking genius, is a small-time internet celebrity. Her agency signed her and bundled her into the dating show The Law of Attraction alongside a new talent they were pushing.

Ji Xiaoxiao used to stir up chaos in the love triangle every day, but then she unexpectedly got bound to a truth-telling System. For one randomly chosen hour each day, she can only tell the truth. If she lies, the System inflicts a random punishment.

The first male contestant washed dishes and casually asked, "How was your date with Ji Sifeng yesterday?"

Ji Xiaoxiao: "He's sweeter than you, more talkative than you, and more romantic than you."

The second male contestant gazed at her with peach-blossom eyes. "Ji Xiaoxiao, how about we choose each other this time?"

Ji Xiaoxiao: "I've already agreed to mutually choose two people. Adding one more won't make a difference."

The third female contestant comforted the first female contestant, who was crying. The second female contestant came over to join in and got glared at.

Ji Xiaoxiao: "Move aside. You're blocking their camera shot."

"..."

Ji Xiaoxiao: "The heavens want me dead."

Exhausted from constantly trying to keep up, Ji Xiaoxiao suddenly realized that the show's director, Jin Han, was the handsome classmate she'd secretly had a crush on in middle school.

She had a bold idea.

Later, while the show's crew bustled around outside, getting ready to film, Jin Han pinned Ji Xiaoxiao beside a sink. He rubbed against her neck, pretending to whine while really threatening her. "Am I your secret lover? Make it public already. We're done with this lousy show. I'll pay your penalty fee. Otherwise, I can't guarantee I won't say something I shouldn't next time because I'm too upset in front of everyone."

Ji Xiaoxiao: "..."

Wasn't this lousy show your idea?

A gorgeous, flirtatious little temptress vs. a scheming, jealous green-tea guy

Advance Notice 2: Mr. He's Regretful Pursuit of His Wife

"He's like a vampire. Beneath that exquisite face lie fangs. When you fall in love with him, you lose yourself in his embrace, never realizing that those fangs are already at your throat."

He Xu is handsome, wealthy, gentlemanly, and elegant. He's the perfect man girls sneak glances at with flushed cheeks before quickly looking away.

Only Xiang Ci knows that he's cold, sharp-tongued, and two-faced.

Xiang Ci loved He Xu for nine years.

In the third year, she thought, If he could love me, I'd give him everything I have.

In the sixth year, she thought, If he could love me, I'd brave any danger for him, even if it left me battered and bruised.

In the ninth year, she thought, If he ever falls in love with me, I'll make him suffer until his heart and soul are broken.

He Xu first met Xiang Ci on a summer afternoon.

The cicadas were unbearably loud that day, and the girl across from him, holding a love letter and chocolates, was even louder.

He suppressed the urge to frown. The curve of his lips made the girl blush and her heart race. "Thank you for your affection, but I'm not planning to date anyone. You should take these back."

The girl thrust everything into He Xu's arms and, before he could refuse, turned and ran off, blushing.

His smile vanished at once. He curled his lips, then deftly tore the love letter in his hand into pieces. The pink paper fluttered into the trash like snowflakes. As he raised his hand to toss the chocolates, He Xu suddenly froze.

The branches of an old tree nearby were thick with leaves. A girl with a low ponytail sat on the grass with her back against the trunk. Their eyes met, and she blinked her bright, watery almond-shaped eyes.

After a brief pause, He Xu lowered the hand holding the chocolates. His phoenix eyes narrowed, his smile gentle. "A girl's private thoughts should be torn up. You can have the chocolates, little girl."

Many years later, Xiang Ci pointed to the tall, slender young man beside her and introduced him, a little shyly, as Tang Jiran, her boyfriend.

For the first time, He Xu couldn't control his expression.

That evening, He Xu drank glass after glass with a friend at a bar. His friend teased him, "Stop drinking. If little Xiang Ci thinks I'm getting you drunk, she'll come scold me."

He Xu was still smiling, but his friend suddenly froze. "He Xu, why are you crying?"

"If your name means compassion, why have you shown me none?"

Theme: Growing up