After Qiao Yu was pronounced dead, he became bound to a role-playing System.
According to the System, the protagonists in various small worlds had awakened to their own consciousness and run off, leaving those worlds on the verge of collapse. Someone needed to step in and play the protagonist for a while. Once each world's consciousness had calmed down and produced a new protagonist, Qiao Yu's task would be complete. The System could then help him come back to life and give him a healthy body.
Besides, they had recruited plenty of people, so Qiao Yu only needed to handle two small worlds.
Though he wasn't particularly attached to living, Qiao Yu was curious about the other small worlds, so he agreed without a second thought.
The System promptly signed the contract, overcome with gratitude, and only afterward told him what kinds of protagonists he would have to play.
"You've been assigned the protagonist roles in a broken-engagement story and a substitute-bride story. The characters are pretty different, so everyone has been turning them down for ages. Good luck, Host! If you have any questions, just call 007 anytime!"
Qiao Yu: "?"
When he finally received the information about the small worlds, even more question marks appeared over Qiao Yu's head.
"Hey, wait a minute! In the broken-engagement world, I'm the one whose engagement gets broken off, and in the substitute-bride world, I'm the one who gets sent off as the substitute!"
"Sweetie, that's what the world's consciousness wants. There's nothing our System can do to change it."
"???"
--
With his soul transported to the System's world, Qiao Yu began his long journey as an actor.
By day, Qiao Yu was a bold, domineering, impossibly cool young man. Though he'd endured one hardship after another as a child, he never abandoned his lofty ambitions.
By night, he became a frail, delicate "imposter" who, unloved by his parents, took his younger brother's place and married into a wealthy family.
By day, Qiao Yu faced the family of his former fiance, who had repeatedly humiliated him. "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Never look down on a poor young man!" His words rang out with conviction.
At night, faced with a vicious mother-in-law and a cold, indifferent husband, Qiao Yu timidly raised his delicate wrist. "I heard you like this."
--
At last, after acting nonstop day and night, Qiao Yu's character-switching program glitched one day.
Looking at his former fiance, who had humiliated him to no end, he lowered his eyes, tears welling up, and spoke softly: "Was there something I didn't do well enough? I know you like my younger brother, but my feelings for you are sincere, too."
Then, faced with his parents and younger brother once again riding roughshod over him, he kicked the table over. "I know you all want to laugh at me, but I'm telling you! One day, it won't be that man looking down on me and refusing to make room for me. I'll be the one who can't stand him!"
The consciousnesses of both worlds: "?"
The System, who had just gone to recruit a few more newcomers: "!!! Bro, snap out of it!"
--
After finally calming the consciousnesses of both worlds, Qiao Yu, exhausted in body and mind, went to the rewards exchange in the System space, eager to return to his own world and live a normal life.
But on the way, he saw a face that looked strikingly familiar.
"Lu Wenrui?!"
"Qiao Yu?!"
"You're a tasker?!"
"You're a tasker too?!"
Qiao Yu stared in shock at Lu Wenrui, who looked remarkably like a normal person. Lu Wenrui gazed at Qiao Yu, whose cheeks were rosy and whose emotions seemed perfectly stable, lost in thought.
007, passing by and spotting its two Hosts, looked perfectly calm. "You've met! I was just about to introduce you to each other!"
Theme: Never forget who you are
