I Left the Industry and Went to the Mainland, and My Project Took the Federation by Storm

[A deep reflection on how I got too absorbed in gaming and therefore failed to handle the later plot transitions and development well, as well as on the part of this story before it went premium. Even now, I’m still quite satisfied with the civil service exam plot in this story. _(:з"∠)_]

Gu Xingxi has returned to the past. At this point, she is still a member of an obscure girl group in the Whirlpool Federation, so unpopular she might as well be at the bottom of a pot.

After seeing that her manager intends to manipulate her into selling herself, Gu Xingxi makes a snap decision, quits, and says goodbye.

Her manager doesn’t try to stop her. He sneers and declares that within a month, Gu Xingxi will come back crying and begging him to take her in.

After all, who else would want a pretty airhead whose only talent is focusing on singing and dancing? She’s bound to get chewed up and left with nothing but bones.

But a month passes, and Gu Xingxi doesn’t show up again.

So the manager makes another pronouncement: Gu Xingxi has probably been taken in by some rich second-generation heir who likes collecting pretty, obscure entertainers. After all, a pretty face always finds a way.

Then, three years later, the manager sees a news report on the Federation News Channel:

[Planet C41 has recently become a hot destination in the virtual world, with many citizens eager to check in there. How did this enormous, undeveloped wasteland, which was still untouched three years ago, make its debut before the Federation’s citizens and become a popular tourist attraction? What stories lie behind the construction of this popular destination? Our station interviewed the project’s chief director, Director Gu Xing. Here is our in-depth report.]

The manager’s pupils shrink. Why does that Director Gu Xing look so familiar?!

.

After quitting, Gu Xingxi goes to take the civil service exam and start a new career on a wasteland planet slated for development.

She isn’t a pretty airhead. She’s simply someone who focuses on getting things done, so intently that people call her stupid.

No matter where she is, she’ll diligently and conscientiously do her job. On the wasteland planet, she intends to do her best too, building it carefully, one step at a time.

An elegant, delicate traditional Chinese landscape garden, where every step reveals a new view, offering a feast for the eyes.

A peach blossom paradise carpeted in falling petals, its breathtaking beauty meeting the eye at every turn.

A fresh, natural forest park, where walking along the boardwalk brings a long-missed sense of relaxation.

How did the wasteland development project she planned and built become an online sensation before she even noticed?

* The Federation is a fictional setting. Please do not compare it to reality.

* The heroine is focused on developing Planet C41. She will not return to the entertainment industry as an actress, idol, or celebrity.

Pre-release: Don't Hand Every System Over to the Federation! Please add it to your collection~

Blurb:

After the apocalypse, reconstruction is underway and everything needs rebuilding. Bai Jiyu works at the public service counter of the Civic Affairs Office and a special department, leading a simple but busy life.

One day, a little girl stands at the counter clutching her schoolbag. She looks up at Bai Jiyu with teary eyes and asks, "Big Sister, I have a study System... Can I hand it over to the Federation?"

Bai Jiyu: "...Shall I ask for you?"

The study System is just the beginning. Bai Jiyu has more and more Systems to report:

Romance System, Farming System, Gossip System, sign-in System, Survival System...

Isn't that way too many Systems to hand over?!

Finally, one day, Bai Jiyu can't help asking a Host, "Have you considered keeping the System for yourself?"

Host: "The Federation is recovering in the aftermath of the apocalypse, and it is still in decline. To help rebuild the Federation together, I'm willing to hand over my System!"

Bai Jiyu: "What if the person who gave you the System suggested that you keep it for yourself?"

Host: "..."

Host: "!???"

.

After the apocalypse, Bai Jiyu obtains a simulated Supreme God System.

She can act as the Supreme God, issuing missions and setting rewards.

Bai Jiyu: "Hmm... So can I make a study System to help this little girl study properly?"

System: "Yes."

Bai Jiyu: "Then that's what I'll do!"

* Post-apocalyptic reconstruction. The entire story is fictional.

* The heroine is a laid-back powerhouse, pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Pre-release: The Rules of Living on Earth. Please add it to your collection~

[The highest rule for living on Earth: Strictly follow the public rules.]

[The following are public rules for living or staying in the home of someone you are not close to. Do not violate them:

1. Do not defy the homeowner.

2. Do not enter the homeowner's private areas, such as the bedroom, bathroom, or study. Some homeowners are more generous and only restrict movement at night. Pay attention to the homeowner's attitude.

3. Do not leave without telling the homeowner. The homeowner may worry that they have failed as a host and behave unpredictably.

4. If you accidentally enter a private area, go to the living room as quickly as possible, sit down, and stare at the television while it is off until the homeowner sees you out.

5. If the television cannot be turned off, or the homeowner shows no intention of seeing you out, Rule 3 no longer applies. Immediately jump out a window and flee the house to the street. Stay out of the homeowner's sight. Once you are sure they are no longer chasing you, leave along the street.

6. The kitchen knives are a last resort. Do not use them unless there is absolutely no other choice.]

[Here is one public rule for playing in the yard. Be sure to follow it:

If you don't want to face the strange creature that comes out at night with a lanternfish to hunt for food, do not stay in the yard after dark.]

The instant Yang Huilin steps into her ex-boyfriend's yard with her coworkers, the System in her head immediately announces three rules.

She is stunned. Her career-focused ex-boyfriend considers the entire villa his private domain, so the rules will automatically jump to Rule 4.

The house is full of danger, while staying in the yard at night means encountering a strange creature. And if she wants to leave, she needs her ex-boyfriend's permission. Every option is a dead end.

Yang Huilin: If you think about it carefully, it's not like there's no way out.

Everyone else: Where's the way out?!

* A rules-horror story. The protagonist must follow the rules and seek a way to survive within rules that seem to make certain death unavoidable. I'm terrible at writing blurbs for rules-horror stories, QAQ. The story itself is better than the blurb, I promise!

* The ex-boyfriend is not the love interest.

Theme: Uphold the strategic approach of adapting to local conditions and making steady, incremental progress, leading the people of Planet C41 and the Federation toward common prosperity.