My Ex-Boyfriend Just Won't Believe I'm Still Alive

I couldn't keep writing the story, and rereading it made me feel the earlier chapters weren't working. But I didn't want to abandon it, so after thinking it over again and again, I decided to rewrite it. Chapters without the word "Chapter" in their titles are new. You can ignore the others for now; they'll gradually be replaced.

(A little mutter: This isn't my first rewrite. Before, I only rewrote a few chapters. It's fine, it's fine. I can finish it :-D)

My next story is "Hey, Need a Stand-In?" The blurb is at the very bottom.

With college graduation just around the corner, and a nine-to-five job with weekends off already lined up, Yu Xiaoyan went out and got hit by a big rig. He lost consciousness on the spot.

When he opened his eyes again, Yu Xiaoyan discovered that he had become an earthbound spirit. That would have been bad enough, but why were other spirits trapped where they died, while he was stuck inside his ex-boyfriend Gu Shengyan's body, sharing all five senses with him?

Yu Xiaoyan: What rotten luck!

Yu Xiaoyan was forced to become a spectator. Gu Shengyan did experiments, and he watched. Gu Shengyan wrote reports, and he watched. Gu Shengyan showered... Ahem. He watched that, too.

That would have been bad enough, but Gu Shengyan's lifestyle was so unhealthy that Yu Xiaoyan had to suffer along with him. At last, unable to take it anymore, Yu Xiaoyan spoke up. He'd meant to scare Gu Shengyan, but Gu Shengyan was surprisingly calm. He just spent the whole night reading psychology books.

The next day, Gu Shengyan had dark circles under his eyes. His voice was hoarse, but he smiled as he said, "Dissociative identity disorder...?"

Yu Xiaoyan: "...Huh?"

After their harmonious and friendly (chaotic) life together, Yu Xiaoyan reached one conclusion: Gu Shengyan was crazy.

Gu Shengyan had agreed to let him take over the body now and then, but Yu Xiaoyan still decided he had to get out of there as soon as possible.

Finally, one day, while Gu Shengyan was conducting an experiment, Yu Xiaoyan managed to break free completely. Before he could celebrate, a force sucked him in, pulling him into the body of the person beside him.

Using Gu Shengyan's junior's body, Yu Xiaoyan had a "deep, meaningful gaze" with Gu Shengyan. He saw Gu Shengyan's pupils contract, his thin lips tremble, and his face turn as if he'd seen something terrifying. The next second, Gu Shengyan collapsed to the floor right in front of him.

Yu Xiaoyan: "!?" Seriously, are you faking a fall to extort me!?

Gu Shengyan knew perfectly well that he was ill, and that clinging to his alter personality was like drinking poison to quench his thirst.

But every frown and smile of the "Yu Xiaoyan" in his mind overlapped with the person he'd lost, until he could barely tell reality from illusion.

He closed his eyes and let himself sink.

Gu Shengyan used his demanding research to numb his mind. He squeezed every spare moment out of his schedule, leaving himself no energy to look too deeply into things.

Then, during one experiment, Gu Shengyan picked up a cup to drink. Suddenly, he heard a strange noise and instinctively turned around. He saw, with perfect clarity, his junior's face turn into Yu Xiaoyan's. Blood rushed to his head. His vision went black, but he stubbornly kept his eyes open.

Before he passed out, only one thought remained in his mind.

He was probably beyond help.

When Gu Shengyan woke again, he discovered that his illness had reached a whole new level. The people around him would suddenly take on Yu Xiaoyan's face, and even behave just like him.

Gu Shengyan tried subtly probing the others, but they all said nothing was out of the ordinary.

Nothing out of the ordinary

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the "Yu Xiaoyan" beside him looking utterly innocent. Gu Shengyan's temples throbbed.

He wasn't ill. He was going insane.

Bonus scene:

Only belatedly did Yu Xiaoyan realize that whoever he possessed would look like him to Gu Shengyan, and that the person he possessed would soon have an incredible stroke of luck.

Yu Xiaoyan was shocked. Yu Xiaoyan thought it over. Yu Xiaoyan was thrilled.

Gu Shengyan's birthday came around, and his fellow disciples stopped by to wish him well. While they chatted, Yu Xiaoyan possessed them one by one.

And so

"Yu Xiaoyan" Number One: Senior Brother, happy birthday.

"Yu Xiaoyan" Number Two: Senior Brother, happy birthday.

"Yu Xiaoyan" Number Three: Senior Brother...

Gu Shengyan suppressed a twitch in his face. "Th... Thank you..."

Yu Xiaoyan laughed so hard he rolled around on the floor.

* Mutual firsts, happy ending. The shou will get a body.

* The breakup was due to a misunderstanding, which will be explained. Neither lead will love anyone else, emotionally or physically.

* The blurb has been revised.

My next story: "Hey, Need a Stand-In?"

Jiang Buman is an undocumented player, and not just anywhere: he's an undocumented player in an infinite-world game. While everyone else fights through stages and upgrades their gear, he begs on the streets, without even a bowl to beg with.

When luck is on his side, Jiang Buman exploits a bug to enter a dungeon in someone else's place. After clearing it, he gets a few measly coins, and lives from one meager meal to the next.

As if things weren't bad enough, the damn dungeons target him, sending him monsters way above his level every time.

That would be bad enough, but the worst part is the standard breakfast everyone gets, while he misses out on two buns and is left with nothing but a cup of soy milk.

Jiang Buman: Ptooey! Stingy dungeon. If it had a single coin, it'd shove it between its cheeks and ride it like a bike.

On another dungeon run, an absurdly powerful guy appeared and followed him the whole way. Among a team of useless teammates, he stood out all the more.

Relieved to have the pressure ease up, Jiang Buman let out a long breath and thought he might actually get to take a vacation this time. But at the very last moment, the guy stabbed him straight through the heart.

Jiang Buman, ejected from the dungeon by the player protection system: "Fuck."

He'd worked his ass off and hadn't earned a cent.

Qi Weiming, one of the beings who governs the ghosts, discovered one day that several dungeons had been given citations. Each fine was half a month's salary, and the reason was always the same:

Someone had cleared a dungeon in violation of the rules.

Qi Weiming immediately sent his subordinates to investigate, but every one of them came back defeated. With no other choice, he went himself and taught the rule-breaker a painful lesson.

He thought the other guy would behave after that, but only a few days later, he received another citation. An entire dungeon had been burned down, earning him a fine of half a year's salary.

Qi Weiming: "..." Very good. Just great.

After making a mess, Jiang Buman swaggered off. Then, in the next dungeon, he ran into that traitor again.

Enemies seeing each other were bound to clash. A man and a ghost turned the dungeon upside down, and just as the money he was about to earn looked ready to vanish again, Jiang Buman hurriedly called a halt.

Jiang Buman: "I never did anything to you. Why are you so obsessed with coming after me?"

Qi Weiming: "I spent the salary from the past year paying for your messes."

Jiang Buman: "?"

After finally figuring out what had happened, Jiang Buman's mind started turning. He slapped his palm and said, "Why don't you become a player? Then you can keep an eye on me and get a dungeon-clear reward, too. I'm experienced at being an undocumented player. I can teach you how to exploit bugs."

Qi Weiming: "?" Is that even reasonable? But... maybe it could work.

Bonus scenes:

Jiang Buman looked at the house reduced to rubble and nudged Qi Weiming with his elbow. "You did this. I'll dock your pay."

Qi Weiming sneered. "You blew up the well first."

Jiang Buman: "Then I'll pay one and you pay nine. That's my final offer."

Qi Weiming: "You steal my breakfast, sell my items, dump three deadweight teammates on me, and now you have the nerve to ask me for money!?"

Jiang Buman: "Bullshit! You were the one who acted on your own first."

Qi Weiming: "When did I ever say I'd listen to you?"

They were arguing heatedly when a female ghost appeared beside them, completely ignored. With bloodshot eyes, she said in a chilling voice, "My leg..."

Jiang Buman and Qi Weiming turned to glare at her at the same time and said in unison, "Shut up!"

The female ghost: Waaah!

After breaking the rules too many times, Jiang Buman and Qi Weiming were both punished. They were thrown into a tiny room where they couldn't get out unless they stayed in close contact.

Jiang Buman edged over to Qi Weiming, the tips of his ears turning red. "Um... could you do me a favor?"

Qi Weiming's face was expressionless, but his hands clenched at his sides.

Jiang Buman cleared his throat and said bashfully, "Open your mouth."

Qi Weiming's lips moved. He opened his mouth slightly, and in the next instant, Jiang Buman stuffed his hand inside at lightning speed.

Qi Weiming: "Gag, "

"Aw, just bear with it. I was going to stick it up your nostril, but I was afraid we wouldn't be close enough." Jiang Buman fidgeted bashfully. "It's just that mine isn't that short."

Qi Weiming, who understood immediately: "...Don't expect me to split the money with you this time."

"Huh!?" Jiang Buman was willing to swallow his pride. "Mine's short! Mine's short, okay!"

* Qi Weiming is the gong, a pure-hearted male ghost gong (not).

* Mutual firsts, one-on-one, happy ending, romance-focused.

* The blurb has been saved.

Theme: Everyone has their own strengths.