The Cannon Fodder Heiress Awakens at the Elite Academy

The update notice is just a typo fix, so feel free to ignore it.

My other novel, "Can a Romance Game Really Pierce Your Heart with a Sword?", is next door. If you're interested, feel free to add it to your collection. It's already underway!

Blurb:

Chang Ning is a cannon-fodder heiress in a Mary Sue novel set at an elite academy.

She was born into a wealthy family, but after falling for the original male lead, she bullied and oppressed the heroine. In the end, the male lead secretly sent her to prison, without the kind-hearted heroine's knowledge, and she spent the rest of her miserable life behind bars.

Before she learned the plot of the novel, she was standing in front of one of the male leads, arrogantly saying, "Be my boyfriend, and I'll give you ten thousand yuan a month to spend." It was the kind of thing that trampled all over his noble dignity.

Chang Ning: ...

Netizens were right. Spend money on a man, and you'll have bad luck for the rest of your life.

*

Knowing that she'd meet a tragic end if she laid a hand on the heroine, Chang Ning decisively chose to keep to her own lane and let the heroine keep to hers. Neither of them would bother the other.

But when she thought about how she'd once been so blinded by love, the more she looked at those male leads, the more annoyed she got.

When she saw the refined, aloof student council president passed out drunk outside a bar in the middle of the night, she calmly called over security and had them drag the drunkard away to sleep in a garbage heap for the night.

When she saw the calculating junior being hassled at his part-time job, she squatted nearby and watched the drama unfold, thoughtfully calling the customer service complaint number posted on the wall.

When she saw her hot-tempered, arrogant childhood friend fighting students from another school in a dark alley, she took out her phone, snapped a picture, and ran off. She even sent a copy to the school's dean with the caption, "Students who don't study hard have no future."

Just as her life returned to normal, and she'd even gained a few pounds because she was in such a good mood, all those people suddenly showed up at her door one day.

The three of them: "Sis, does that offer of ten thousand a month still stand? We don't want to work hard anymore."

Chang Ning: "...?"

Are you guys okay?

Reader's Guide:

1. An old-school, silly Mary Sue story. The writing is average, and the plot takes priority over logic. The original heroine is not villainized.

2. The setting is fictional, and all the characters in the book are adults.

3. This is not a choose-your-favorite story (!!). There are multiple one-sided crushes and an open ending.

4. The heroine really is a silly, spoiled heiress who likes to make a fuss. She's imperfect and has her own flaws. This is just a fun read. If that's not your thing, please don't come in and ruin your own good mood (slowly kneels and weeps).

[New novel next door: "Can a Romance Game Really Pierce Your Heart with a Sword?" is now underway]

When the large-scale, fully immersive game Heartbeat opened its public beta, Ming Yuan downloaded it and logged in right away, becoming one of its very first players.

While exploring the romance-themed experience, she was given the role of a cannon-fodder supporting female character in a demon-hunting story. According to the plot the game provided, her future held endings like losing her limbs, having her body destroyed, and having her soul refined into a puppet.

The game's tutorial told her that if she wanted to change the main plot and escape the inevitable death awaiting someone in her role, she'd have to find a way to deal in advance with everything that would eventually kill her, nipping it in the bud.

Ming Yuan was curious. "How do I die in the future?"

System: "The world's villain kills you."

Ming Yuan: "And who's this world's villain?"

System: "The one who rescued you from the demon. You just said you'd work like a horse and an ox for him from now on. ^^"

*

According to his character profile, the villain Qiu Chengji is gloomy and ruthless, one of the craziest characters in the original story.

But the villain Ming Yuan meets seems perfectly normal. Aside from having a temper now and then, he carries her over mountains and rivers to find a doctor when she falls ill, and risks his life to save her when she's trapped in danger.

Until she can't resist this tempting sugar-coated shell, decides to follow through on the romance theme she chose, and tries to get closer to him. She tentatively asks the villain, "Would you like to form a bond with me?"

The villain finally drops his kindhearted disguise. With tears in his eyes and a crazed smile, he points his sword at her heart and drives it in.

At the same time, a familiar electronic voice rings out: [Congratulations, Host, you've successfully won over your target... Are you insane? Why did you kill your romance target? What is wrong with you??]

Ming Yuan: ...

So you have a System too... Bro, you got me. Why didn't you say so sooner?

And wasn't she supposed to be playing the romance exploration theme? Why did she still end up dying at the hands of the person she liked?!

*

The game ended in failure, but after taking a break for a while, Ming Yuan couldn't resist logging in again. She picked a different story and got ready to play.

But before long, a young man from the previous story, who shouldn't have been there at all, suddenly tore through the night. Covered in blood, he grabbed her and held her tight.

Warm tears fell one by one onto her forehead. His arms clamped around her with enough force to nearly break her waist.

The young man rasped into her ear, murmuring again and again. He even took her hand and guided it over the wounds on his body.

He even smiled and told her he'd stabbed himself in the heart too, so they could be together. He'd meant to die for love, but for some reason, no matter how many times he stabbed himself, he just wouldn't die.

Ming Yuan: ...

Ming Yuan: ??????

Is nobody going to do anything about this?

Is this a bug? If not, she was reporting the game company. One insane NPC shouldn't be able to show up in multiple scenarios.

"Reader Advisory"

The heroine is a player, and the hero is a fixed NPC in the game. But a game bug has bound him to a System for winning over the heroine.

The heroine occasionally hears the hero's System, but the voice isn't clear.

A story about a carefree, sweet girl and a dark, contrary guy. No angsty romance, just pure love, one-on-one.

Theme: Strive to live well