Shi Yu received a mission during his vacation.
The mission briefing went like this:
In a world derived from a certain novel, readers had both a cinnabar mole and a white moonlight.
The white moonlight was the protagonist's master, a noble and aloof beauty, an unreachable presence whose shadow the protagonist never dared touch.
The cinnabar mole was the protagonist's rival, tough on the outside but softhearted within. They gave the protagonist their sincere love and risked their life to save them, making them a bickering pair.
Both characters had their own appeal. The novel became an enormous hit, and fans of both pairings fought until their arguments grew into towering threads.
But there was bad news: the protagonist in the derived world suddenly quit playing along.
They stabbed the cinnabar mole and even ground the white moonlight's bones to dust.
Shi Yu: Which one am I supposed to play?
System: Both.
Shi Yu: I suppose that's doable. Just reset the world for me.
The System stammered: No, you're going to face the protagonist who stabbed the cinnabar mole and ground the white moonlight's bones to dust...
Shi Yu: ???
One day, Shi Yu transmigrated.
He looked down and met a pair of wolf-like eyes.
The frail young man's back was straight as a sword. Despite the pressure bearing down on him from every side, he showed no sign of surrender.
Shi Yu reminded him, "You have to kneel to become my disciple."
The young man's red lips curled into a bloodthirsty, unruly smile. "Who do you think you are?"
The System silently reminded him: Right, your job is to make a protagonist like this fall for you. Be gentle...
The next second, Shi Yu lashed him with a whip.
The junior cinnabar mole finally met the protagonist.
The two competed for a treasure in a secret realm.
The System: Right, the cinnabar mole's whole thing is sincerity. Hurry up and give the treasure to the protagonist!
Shi Yu used a dirty trick to seize the treasure, then turned around and ran his sword through the protagonist's shoulder.
The System: ...
This is going to be a disaster.
But later...
The white moonlight tried to expel the protagonist from the sect.
The ambitious protagonist dropped to his knees and crawled toward his cold, unfeeling master. Reaching out helplessly and yearningly, he clutched the master's immaculate robe and pleaded in a low voice, "Master, I'll admit to any wrongdoing. Please don't abandon me..."
His every cry seemed to bleed, and his pure, dark eyes were filled with a sick possessiveness.
The cinnabar mole, convinced there was no hope, rushed into a death trap.
The protagonist, usually cold and merciless to everyone else, lost his composure and chased after them into the trap, rescuing the cinnabar mole who had always opposed him.
The protagonist was torn with conflict.
The fans were fighting tooth and nail over the pairing.
One day, Shi Yu logged into the wrong character and, wearing the cinnabar mole's face, called the protagonist "disciple."
The protagonist sneered. "Master, you hid this from me so cruelly."
Theme: Face real hardships and setbacks head-on, and never give up.
