Can an Old-Timer Become a Popular Character Too?

【Updated daily, please don’t let my story pile up unread qwq. I occasionally fix typos or revise the text. If something comes up, I’ll post a leave notice. Anti-piracy protection: 70%. Thanks for your support~】 Qiu Lin transmigrates into the wildly popular supernatural action manga set in another world, No Crossing. He’s a notorious hater of the manga, exceptionally skilled at fighting online. His critical essays are packed with citations, and he can recite every detail when arguing with people. The good news: he can probably “foresee” every dangerous plotline and avoid it in advance. The bad news: he accidentally transmigrated into the body of an extremely unlikeable character in the manga, an unnamed cannon-fodder whose brief appearance lasted less than half an episode before he got killed off… An old, old man?? Bad news x2: This is a high-risk world of supernatural powers, where people casually conjure fireballs and wreck entire streets in fights. Whether murder and arson are illegal is pretty much up to personal interpretation… And right now, his fighting ability is a measly 0.5 goose. He gets winded just jogging, terrified he’ll throw out his back. Old Man·Frailty·Qiu Lin sees black. Fortunately, one month after transmigrating, he finally gets his golden finger: a forum that connects him with the audience. As long as he makes it into No Crossing, attracts enough audience discussion and affection, and doesn’t end up among the bottom three in the forum’s popularity poll and get voted off, he can stay alive. Qiu Lin takes a look at his body and tries to roll over like a lazy fish… but can’t. He nearly throws his back out again, too. So he lies flat once more. He’s already old enough to collect his pension. Acting all fired up and showing off isn’t suitable for a senior citizen who ought to be enjoying his retirement. Just following the script sounds pretty good! …Just kidding. If there’s a chance to fight back, he should at least give it a try. While leisurely taking it easy, Qiu Lin pokes the enemy lying on the ground with his knife, then gives the protagonist, who somehow ended up behind him, a little nudge. Suddenly, he realizes: …Maybe there’s still a way to save this situation, huh? Who says old men can’t fight? Old men can look cool too, you know! As for how he suddenly “rejuvenates” and turns into a handsome young man while playing an “old man”… Qiu Lin whistles innocently. Hey, who wasn’t a handsome young man in their day? That’s perfectly normal, isn’t it? 【Anyone want to discuss that decrepit old man called Chi Fengye? Could he be some kind of special big shot? How strong is he, anyway? And is it just me, or does that messy, weather-beaten old face suddenly seem full of stories after looking at it for a while?】 【That scared me, I thought I was the only weirdo. I don’t know why, but I suddenly think he’s kind of handsome… I almost wondered if my taste had suddenly gone wrong aaaah】 【Damn, why does the young Old Man Ye actually look so cool and handsome… He’s ridiculously strong! Aaaaaah, my heart, please stop racing!! I swear I’m not falling for an old man!!!】 【How can someone look like a completely different person when they’re old versus when they’re young?! I’m all for de-aging! Sorry, from today on I’m not a power-scaling fan, I’m Chi Fengye’s dream girl (whistles)】 【\Brother Ye is the best in the world/\Brother Ye is the best in the world/\Brother Ye is the best in the world/(cheering)!!!】 Well… better late than never for the “I get it now” effect. *Reading guide: Attention: 【This contains an enormous, lethal dose of forum posts. Forum posts and manga content will be labeled. Later on, the forums will feature all kinds of chaotic crack ships and crossover pairings. Feel free to skip them if that’s not your thing.】 Yes, the author really loves this stuff. 0. The cover is a commissioned template cover. The character design isn’t the only possible one, but he’s handsome and looks a lot like the protagonist after he gets younger, so I commissioned it. 1. An alternate near-future setting, very loosely defined. The author is only half-decent at writing blurbs, and the plot takes a while to get going. Later on, the male lead will attract a deadly number of arrows (not romantic ones). The forums will have people who want the protagonist as their father, people who want him as their mother, BG pairings, and basically every kind of ship rumor. Please steer clear if this bothers you. 2. The male lead is unwaveringly the one who carries the whole show, never messes up, and never loses. He seems like a lazy weakling but is actually a big shot. I’m a die-hard protagonist fan, trust me. He will never mess up!!! (shouts) 3. He really does start out as a weather-beaten old man, and stays that way for quite a while. But later he’ll become young and handsome again (emphasis)(extra emphasis). 4. Although I say he “doesn’t show off,” he’s actually great at showing off. 5. Inspired by edits along the lines of “Who knew this old man was so handsome when he was young?” 6. The earliest verifiable version of this blurb was posted on 2023.12.24, and some details have since changed. Do not compare my story with other authors’ works in the comments. If you want to recommend stories, make a list. You’re welcome to share your opinions, but do not put down or compare other works in my comment section. I politely decline writing advice. The author will puff up like a pufferfish and explode with anger. At the very bottom, I’m also leaving two upcoming stories: After Posing as a Psychiatrist, a daily-life story with delusional fan interpretations (?), and After I Transmigrated into a Book, I Got a Happy Ending with Myself, a romance about falling in love with oneself (?). Thanks for adding them to your collections! Theme: If your heart never grows old, neither will the years