The Male Leads Are Always Coveting the Frail Cannon Fodder

After Shen Jibai dies unexpectedly, he is dumped into a hit erotic novel topping the charts on some adult website. He has to play a sickly, insignificant character who gets pushed around by five scumbag love interests, and max out each one's affection and heartbreak scores.

After seeing the script, Shen Jibai raises an eyebrow. "A reality dating show with exes?"

In reality...

Shen Jibai, being grabbed by the ankle and dragged back onto the bed: "This is an advanced-level game, and I'm the target!"

*

Shen Qinzhou's route:

Shen Qinzhou has a young nephew.

Shen Jibai is beautiful, adorable, and so fragile that a gust of wind could knock him over, but deep down, he is rotten to the core.

He bullies classmates, plagiarizes work, and throws his weight around, thanks to his family's power. He's nothing like his sweet, delicate appearance.

Shen Qinzhou is deeply disappointed in his nephew, and gradually grows distant from him.

Even when they unexpectedly end up living together, Shen Qinzhou plans to keep out of each other's way.

Until one day, Shen Qinzhou sees a young man escorting Shen Jibai home. The other boy ruffles Shen Jibai's hair and chats with him, their manner unmistakably flirtatious.

Hearing the door, the light in Shen Qinzhou's eyes dims. He takes off his glasses with one hand and, just as Shen Jibai is about to turn on the light, shoves him against the shoe cabinet.

Kisses rain down, leaving no room to breathe, on the young man's fair cheeks, lips, and Adam's apple. The man's voice is low and hoarse.

"Shen Jibai, are you trying to have two men at once?"

*

Si Yunzheng's route:

Si Yunzheng and Shen Qinzhou have always kept out of each other's way. That changes when they fall for the same unattainable first love, and an idea comes to Si Yunzheng:

He will bring him down.

Si Yunzheng is the first to discover the Shen family's secret: one of their heirs is an impostor. He plans to pull a little trick and make the fake heir act as a genuine mole.

Shen Jibai and Si Yunzheng are partners in a straightforward alliance. The day their scheme is exposed, towering flames swallow Shen Jibai's figure.

For once, Si Yunzheng goes out of his way to pull him from the fire. Carrying the young man down a shadowy street, he doesn't care that his hands are covered in blood.

He examines Shen Jibai carefully, making sure he isn't hurt. Then a trace of madness flickers across his face.

Si Yunzheng lowers his head and kisses the corner of the young man's mouth.

"At last, you're mine."

Then he looks up and fixes his gaze on Shen Qinzhou in the distant crowd. Now, his mind is made up:

He's going to kill him.

*

Pei Xing and Pei Xingye's route:

The Pei family finds a blind bride to bring good fortune to their sickly son.

The young blind man is the housekeeper's son, pitiful and fragile. When Pei Xingye looks after him, he is as obedient as a cat.

He trusts Pei Xingye with all his heart. Even when he is given to Pei Xingye's sickly older brother, Pei Xing, he doesn't complain at all.

Pei Xingye thinks he won't care about the little blind boy.

But when he sees Pei Xing taking care of Shen Jibai until he looks even fairer and more beautiful, and hears Shen Jibai replace the name he used to say so often with Pei Xing's, Pei Xingye can't sit still any longer.

Pei Xing is taking a bath. The sound of running water reaches the bedroom, where Shen Jibai sits nervously on the bed. Suddenly, he hears footsteps and calls out softly:

"Pei Xing?"

Pei Xingye doesn't answer. He grabs Shen Jibai by the wrist and presses him against the coffee table, his lips closing around Shen Jibai's earlobe.

The water keeps running.

Shen Jibai pushes him away in a panic.

"You're Pei Xingye!"

Pei Xingye bites Shen Jibai's lip, then boldly slips his tongue inside.

*

Fang Yinnian's route:

Coming soon

Reader's Guide:

1. Lots of love-triangle drama. There are tentatively five love interests, all with some scumbag tendencies. (Since this story uses a replacement trope, the first love interest, Shen Qinzhou, and the second, Si Yunzheng, are virgins; the other three are also virgins.) In the end, they all suffer heartbreak and go through a long, painful process of winning their beloved back.

2. Conquest routes. (A little angst early on; the group love-triangle drama and redemption arcs only start later, so proceed with caution if you can't handle that.) Includes a System. The protagonist knows exactly how to flirt.

3. At its core, this is a melodramatic novel with a beloved-by-all protagonist. The protagonist is a beautiful, sunny, optimistic little troublemaker. (There are lots of descriptions of his looks; I just love writing about a pretty boy, so please skip this if that bothers you.)

4. The romances happen one at a time. The next one begins only after the current relationship ends.

5. Open ending. Each love interest gets a corresponding extra ending, but the story never specifies who Baibai ends up with.

Coming soon: another beloved-by-all novel of the same type, Childhood Friends. Thanks for adding it to your collection!

My name is Su Li, and I'm an utterly ordinary, average straight guy.

I have three childhood friends. We were inseparable growing up, but after they left Wanlin Alley, we gradually lost touch.

During college, I left Wanlin Alley too, only to run into all three of them again in a strange, bustling city.

We still rely on one another.

But I've realized this dependence seems to go beyond friendship.

There's something wrong with all three of them, and it's no small thing.

*

My first childhood friend is a rich second-generation heir whom people say is handsome, wealthy, fit, and socially savvy.

But this catch has countless admirers, and he's the classic playboy who can move through a crowd of beauties without ever letting one catch his eye.

When I realized my relationship with him seemed too intimate and was making his admirers unhappy, I suggested we keep our distance.

But he started acting strangely, constantly sending me messages and even waiting downstairs for me in the pouring rain...

One day, he got drunk and kissed me.

I figured he must have gone blind and mistaken me for one of his admirers.

*

My second childhood friend is the gentlest, most gentlemanly senior at the university. He's always looked after me, and ever since I was little, I've considered him my closest and most admired big brother.

But that doesn't stop me from thinking he's got something wrong with his head.

He's wonderful in every way, but he has some rather dark, questionable tastes.

One day, I accidentally wandered into the room he always keeps locked and saw my photos covering every inch of the walls...

I have to stay away from him now.

*

My third childhood friend is a genius boy with an angelic face. Even as a kid, he stood out from all the snot-nosed children around him. He loves anything challenging, and he's carefree and romantic.

That day, he pulled me into his room, blinking at me with innocent, clear blue eyes, his face and ears red. He took all kinds of gadgets out of a box and, with tears in his eyes, shyly asked me how to use them...

Beautiful men really are the most dangerous. I think I'll have to run this time.

*

My three childhood friends have recently been plotting together, conspiring over how to turn me gay.

I pack my bags in the middle of the night and prepare to run away.

In the last second before I board the plane, they catch up with me and haul me back to the villa.

In the dark room, everything is quiet. I hear one of them let out a cold laugh, anger still lingering in his voice.

"Looks like Big Brother doesn't like being treated too gently."

And then...

The childhood friends:

1. A tsundere, stubborn, unruly rich heir

2. A gentle-seeming senior who's a gloomy, obsessive ghost inside

3. A cute, tearful younger genius, a total top

Theme: Anything is possible