Can the Elderly Type Become a Popular Character Too?

I haven't been feeling well lately, so I can't guarantee daily updates.

Qiu Lin transmigrates into the wildly popular supernatural action manga Bu Du.

He's a notorious hater of the manga, a formidable debater who cites sources when writing takedown posts and can recite every detail by heart when arguing with people.

Good news: He can probably "see the future" and avoid all the dangerous plotlines before they happen.

Bad news: He accidentally transmigrates as an incredibly annoying character in the manga, an unnamed cannon-fodder tool who appears for less than half an episode before dying... an old, old man?

Bad news x2: This is a high-risk supernatural world where people casually conjure fireballs and smash up streets in fights. Whether killing and arson are against the law is entirely a matter of personal judgment... Meanwhile, his combat power is only 0.5 goose, and he gets out of breath just jogging, terrified of throwing out his back.

Old, frail Qiu Lin sees black.

Fortunately, one month after transmigrating, he finally gets his golden finger: a forum that connects him to the audience.

As long as he can make a successful appearance in Bu Du and earn discussion and affection from the audience, without ending up among the bottom three in the popularity polls posted on the forum, he can keep himself alive.

Qiu Lin looks at his body and tries to roll over like a lazy fish... but can't. He nearly throws out his back again, too.

So he lies flat once more.

He's already old enough to collect his pension. Showing off and getting fired up aren't suitable for an old man who should be enjoying his retirement. Just following the script is fine!

...Just kidding. If he can struggle, he might as well try.

As Qiu Lin lazily takes it easy, he prods the fallen enemy with his knife, then pokes at the protagonist, who somehow ended up behind him. Suddenly he realizes: ...Maybe he can still be saved after all?

Who says old men can't fight? Old men can be cool too!

As for how this "old man" suddenly "rejuvenates" and becomes a young, handsome guy... Qiu Lin innocently whistles. Hey, weren't we all handsome when we were young? It's perfectly normal, isn't it?

[Anyone want to talk about that rotten old geezer named Chi Fengye? Could he be some kind of special big shot? How strong is he, anyway? And why, after staring at that wrinkly, weather-beaten old face for a while, does it suddenly seem like there's a whole story behind it?]

[I got such a fright. I thought I was the only pervert. I don't know why, but suddenly I think he's kind of handsome... I nearly wondered if my sense of beauty was suddenly broken, aaah!]

[Damn, why does the young Old Man Ye seem kind of cool and handsome... He's way too strong! Aaaah, my heart, please stop beating so wildly!! Damn it, I'm really not falling for an old man!!!]

[How can someone look like two different people when they're old and young?! I can get behind rejuvenation! Sorry, from today on I'm not a power-scaling fan, I'm a Chi Fengye fangirl (whistles)]

[\Brother Ye is number one in the world/\Brother Ye is number one in the world/\Brother Ye is number one in the world/ (cheering)!!!]

Well... better late than never for the "it's actually really good" effect.

*Reading notes:

Attention: [This contains [massive, gigantic, lethal amounts of forum posts]. Forum posts and manga content will be labeled. Later on, the forum will feature all kinds of chaotic crack ships and wild shipping battles. Feel free to skip them if you don't like them.] Yes, the author really loves this stuff.

0. The cover is a commissioned template cover. The character's appearance isn't set in stone, but he's handsome, and the design is close to what the protagonist will probably look like when he gets younger, so I commissioned it.

1. The near future is fictional and very loosely defined. I'm half a disaster at writing blurbs, and the plot is a slow burn. The male lead will eventually have a lethal number of arrows pointing at him (not romantic ones). The forum has people who want the protagonist as their father, people who want to be his wife, straight pairings, and rumors about every orientation. If that bothers you, please steer clear.

2. The male lead will always be reliable, never mess up, and carry the whole story. He seems like a lazy weakling but is actually a big shot. I'm a true protagonist fan, trust me. He will never mess up!!! (shouting)

3. He genuinely starts out as a weather-beaten old man and will stay that way for quite a while. But later he'll become young and handsome (emphasis) (extra emphasis).

4. Although I say he "can't show off," he's actually really good at it.

5. Inspired by edits along the lines of, "Turns out this old man was so handsome when he was young."

6. The earliest verifiable posting date for this blurb is 2023.12.24. Some details have changed since then. Don't compare my story to other authors' works in the comments. If you want to recommend stories, you can make a reading list. You can share your opinions, but don't put down or compare other stories in my comment section. I don't accept writing advice. The author will puff up like a pufferfish and explode.

At the bottom, I'm also listing two upcoming stories: After Pretending to Be a Psychiatrist, a daily-life story about everyone mistaking the protagonist for a genius (?) and After I Transmigrated into a Book, I Got a Happy Ending with Myself, a romance story about falling in love with oneself (?). Thanks for adding them to your reading lists!

Theme: If your heart doesn't grow old, neither will the years.