After the economy took a downturn, Qi Zhi had the bad luck of being laid off.
Unwilling to keep competing for a job at a big tech company, she resolutely returned to her hometown and turned the little courtyard her parents had left her after their divorce into a guesthouse.
But reality was even harsher. Competition among guesthouses was fierce, and Qi Zhi, who hoped to sleep through the recession, could barely afford even her extremely frugal lifestyle.
Her greatest comfort each day was admiring handsome men in romance games.
One day, a terrible game director angered her so much that she quit the game she'd loved for three years and picked up another romance game.
Love's Constellations, a game that hadn't even been rated yet, caught her attention.
All four male leads came from different sci-fi settings. Having had enough of the awful men in real life, Qi Zhi decided to give it a try.
Male Lead A: The ruler of an interstellar empire, with an extremely high SSS-level mental strength. He's cool and distant, with a touch of a nurturing, motherly vibe.
Male Lead B: A handsome alpha in an ABO world, facing the danger of pheromone collapse because he can't find a partner with a high enough compatibility rating. He seems cheerful, but is actually incredibly hard to get close to.
Male Lead C: A tiger beastman from a new era, with beautiful short golden hair and the haughty personality of a big cat.
Male Lead D: A pirate captain drifting through the sea of stars, devilishly handsome, with countless treasures and an irreverent air that suggests he could destroy the world.
The game introduction also mentioned male leads E, F, and others who hadn't appeared yet. Qi Zhi didn't know if she'd still be playing when they were finally added.
As Qi Zhi spent her days poking the imperial ruler's abs, patting the alpha's butt, pinching the big cat's tail, and tousling the pirate's red hair, things at the guesthouse gradually started getting strange.
First came beta-test gifts sent by the game's official team in the male leads' names, followed by mysterious phone calls.
Even the guesthouse started getting more customers.
Then one day, the System said that one of the male leads, the motherly one, couldn't bear her terrible cooking any longer and was planning to come over and cook for her himself. Hearing the doorbell ring, Qi Zhi's hand holding her phone trembled.
Wait, are you actually serious?
Everyone who plays romance games knows that the player character can do whatever they want in the game. But if she actually met them in person, she'd be lucky not to drop to her knees on the spot. That's how nervous she'd be!
But the person outside was patient. The doorbell, ringing at intervals, sounded like a death knell.
Question: What would you do if a romance game's male lead actually appeared in front of you?
Qi Zhi: Umm, I guess it's not so bad? His cooking really is delicious, his tail really is nice to touch, his scent really is alluring, and he really is rich.
What Qi Zhi didn't know was that, to each of the male leads, she was the player character in their game, too. They were all waiting for her to text them back or video call them, losing sleep until they had dark circles under their eyes.
She's so pitiful/cute! I have to meet her!
It's just a gacha draw. There's no way I won't get her.
[For plot reasons, some chapters will be from the male leads' perspectives, but most will be from the female lead's perspective. If that bothers you, please don't read.]
[Competition for her and fighting for her attention are the norm.]
[The female lead thinks they're game characters, so she doesn't have much of a conscience.]
[Not recommended for readers with a strong sense of morality.]
[I'll add more if I think of anything.]
Theme: Everyone is the protagonist of their own story
