I'm having trouble working out the setting for this story's little worlds, and I haven't been satisfied with the plot setup. For now, as of September 6, 2026, I've decided to remove it from the list of stories I'm considering writing next.
If I manage to finish developing the setting later and feel ready to start writing soon, I'll put it back on the list, or just start writing it!
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Xu Shilan is an author who often writes beautiful tragic endings, yet he's a devoted fan of sweet romance. Every time he finishes a novel, he frets on Nebula:
I really did want a happy ending, you know. (Serious face)
Readers scream: Then why does it keep ending in tragedy?! Do you even have a heart?!
The readers' resentment attracts a sweet-romance System, which says it can send him into the worlds of his novels.
Sweet-romance fan Xu Shilan is ecstatic. He jumps into the novels he's written, hoping to rewrite their endings.
Sweet-Romance System: Our goal is a happy ending, no matter what!
World One:
Xu Shilan: "My predecessors died on the road ahead. From now on, I'll carry their banner and bring them down."
"A glimmer of light found me and lit my way. So I want to become a beacon for everyone."
-- Lighthouse: A Glimmer Before Dawn
World Two:
At first, Xu Shilan: "Hello, I'm an explorer. I invite you to become my companion. Let's go find Green Island together!"
The person he invites: "Hello, Explorer. Goodbye, Explorer."
Later, Xu Shilan's companions carry on his legacy and settle on Green Island.
"Explorer, can you see us? We've reached the Green Island you told us about. There are no natural disasters, no bloodshed, and no betrayal here. We're going to open a little shop and make your favorite desserts."
-- Green Island: Life in the Old World
When the worlds end, row after row of tragic endings appears on the System panel.
Xu Shilan: Uh, what...
The sweet-romance System breaks down: Why is it another tragic ending, again and again?!
Xu Shilan (innocent eyes) (looking perfectly well-behaved)
The sweet-romance System glares at him, grits its teeth, and says, "I'll have to use drastic measures. New Game Plus, start!"
And so Xu Shilan is thrown into a little world he's already experienced.
He holds the original script, but has lost his memories. Things aren't going quite as he'd imagined, and he slowly types a question mark: ?
The reborn characters: He doesn't remember his past life. Great! This time, we'll definitely protect him!
The sweet-romance System hands everyone else the saved memories, then quietly takes credit for nothing.
Reader's Guide:
1. The first run through each little world ends in tragedy, but there will be a second run. The protagonist gets the whole-group-fawning-over-him treatment in the second run.
2. More worlds to come. Probably not too many.
Theme: I am here for everyone, and everyone is here for me
Surviving at Sea, While Running a Cruise Ship
Surviving at Sea, but I Have an Island
Reserved Blurb Space
I Became a City Lord After Summoning the Protagonists of Novels
Mistaken for a God After Transmigrating into a Book
Building Civilization from the Primordial Beast World
The Child I Picked Up Turned Out to Be a God
Did I Somehow Mess Up Trying to Heal Dazai?