The Overbearing Ranking Fell in Love with Me

Tan Tan was one of the most obscure bottom-tier writers on Pujiang Literature City.

One day, she realized that whenever she complained in the group chat about her follower count not going up, refreshing the page after each complaint would show one new follower.

After investigating from every angle, she reached a conclusion: the System was secretly in love with her.

It had to be some behind-the-scenes administrator, someone who had fallen in love with her soul through her writing.

How else could she explain being placed on the editor's recommendation list just as she was about to exceed the word limit, when that week's cutoff was the lowest in history?

Tan Tan believed it: this was all the System's doing.

This person was surely standing by the security-barred window in the staff housing compound at the headquarters in the capital, holding a cup of warm milk and instructing their team:

"Pass it on: when you make this week's rankings, don't let anyone rank above Tan Tan."

-

Gu Jiqing was another writer in Tan Tan's author group, someone she called her "fellow newcomer."

Many years ago, he had been a rising star who soared to success. He had spent years on the bestseller list, sold the rights to his work for a screen adaptation, and its hit drama had set a record as a cultural phenomenon.

Although Gu Jiqing hadn't written anything in ten years, his legend still lived on after he retired.

He'd never known what it was like to have no followers, and enjoyed lurking in chat groups for novice writers.

He fell in love with her soul through her writing.

Whenever he saw Tan Tan complain about her follower count, he'd go to shady sites to buy her a follower. He didn't know this was called using a "bot," or that such followers were considered "fake followers."

Before long, Tan Tan was banned from the rankings and blacklisted.

When Tan Tan realized that the System didn't love her after all,

when Tan Tan stopped speaking in the group chat,

Gu Jiqing came up with countless ideas before he finally found her.

Gu Jiqing: "I want to make it up to you."

Tan Tan: "How are you going to do that?"

Gu Jiqing: "I can quit writing. For your sake, I can buy the entire Pujiang Literature City."

---------A guide to reading this novel---------

This is a genuine contemporary romance. There is no System!

You could call it a workplace novel, since being an author is just one of countless professions.

The aim is to encourage serious writing and a grounded approach, and to help build a better online fiction community together.

1. Let me emphasize again: the male lead isn't based on anyone. Please don't associate him with anyone, and certainly don't come after the author. Leave me out of it, please! QAQ

2. The tags include angst and tragedy because of the work-related plot. The romance has a happy ending.

3. Tan Tan is a pen name. She has a perfectly respectable real name.

4. The male lead has never been with anyone. I only know how to write male leads like that.

[The plot of this novel]

For readers: an entertaining, dramatic story from an author's point of view

For new writers: a cup of chicken soup to soothe your uncertainty

For established writers: hey, top students, don't make fun of those of us who are struggling

Welcome to my author page. There's more weird stuff there.

(That means remember to follow me, He Tao.)

☆ Next contemporary novel: Getting Rich Through a Wedding

☆ Next historical novel: The Princess-Raising Plan

Core theme: "I've been caught in the rain, so I want to hold an umbrella over you."