Saving Cannon Fodder Is Just a Little Extra

Yuan Xi was the most fearsome overachiever in the Chinese department at A University. Little did she expect to die suddenly and transmigrate into a restricted novel, where she was bound to the [Rescue the Cannon Fodder Characters in a Restricted Novel] System.

This was a melodramatic tale of bitter love, with countless cannon fodder characters.

Yuan Xi's mission was to transmigrate into the body of a cannon fodder female supporting character, help the original owner defy fate, and escape her inevitable death.

But the System malfunctioned. The soul-transmigration failed, and Yuan Xi's whole body went through instead.

And when she opened her eyes, the cannon fodder herself was right in front of her.

Yuan Xi: ???

Was the world a shoddy operation, just like the transmigration-into-a-book System?

Well, she was already here. Yuan Xi had no choice but to accept the mission.

She knew she was just an ordinary modern graduate student. She wasn't clever enough to outwit anyone, and she didn't have the guts to deal with the unrestrained content of a restricted novel.

So Yuan Xi decided to steal the most powerful male lead's allies one by one, then rally the masses to complete her mission!

On her third day after transmigrating into the book... Yuan Xi looked at the task the System had assigned: [Find the assassin the male lead has planted by your side. Fail, and you will be erased immediately.] She smiled.

Let's start with this cannon fodder character.

-

Lu Yanbing was the chief of the secret guards in the Prince Regent's manor. He had been ordered to infiltrate the imperial harem and stand ready to assassinate the puppet emperor, helping the Prince Regent ascend the throne.

Until a woman inexplicably fell from the sky. She looked exactly like the puppet emperor.

She called herself Yuan Xi, said she came from beyond the heavens, and claimed she was here to change the fates of those destined to die.

Even stranger, she saw through Lu Yanbing's false identity and predicted that the Prince Regent would silence him after using him as a pawn.

After saying all that, Yuan Xi immediately tried to poach him, inviting him to join forces against the Prince Regent.

Lu Yanbing gave her his gentlest, most harmless smile, hiding the bloodstained knife in his hand. "Of course."

-

Clearly, the strategy worked. Yuan Xi was pleased.

Thanks to her efforts, more cannon fodder characters survived.

And with help from the enthusiastic masses, the overbearing male lead, the Prince Regent, gave up his plans to seize the throne; the cannon fodder emperor was no longer a puppet; the cross-dressing female lead was no longer forcibly claimed; and the rivalry between the two factions was thoroughly quelled by Yuan Xi, a twenty-first-century overachiever...

Nobody in the entire court had time for restricted-novel nonsense. Everyone was too busy working themselves to the bone, and things were perfectly harmonious.

But her first ally, Lu Yanbing, was not doing well. He realized Yuan Xi even treated alliances like a competition, and that one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine allies were never too many!

Lu Yanbing's eyelids twitched. In the world of secret guards, you were either useful to someone or discarded for being useless. If she didn't use him, she meant to throw him away.

After hearing this feudal logic, Yuan Xi stared at him, dumbfounded.

"I really want to send you to work in the modern world," she murmured.

Lu Yanbing: ?

The modern Yuan Xi could only explain, "People aren't tools to be used. We're allies, so we should help each other."

"Help... each other?"

And so, one night, the palace chamber was veiled in layers of gauze curtains. The chief of the secret guards, who had killed countless people, knelt on one knee beside her bed. Through the misty haze, something seemed to watch and coil around them, almost tangibly.

He wiped the moisture from the bridge of his nose, smiling gently and harmlessly. His grip didn't loosen in the slightest. "I've learned. Can I help you every day?"

A sunny heroine who burns your butt x a cold-blooded, sinister native male lead who pretends to be a saint

# A melodramatic restricted novel of bitter love gets remade into a healing comedy of catfights (a tiny bit of court intrigue, barely any)

# Cannon fodder forced to work themselves to the bone, forming an alliance

# The true love-struck one is someone else

* One-on-one romance. The leads return to the modern world in the end. A lighthearted love story. [Important] [All warnings are in the author's note for Chapter One. Please read it before deciding whether to continue, sweeties.]

The plot serves the romance, so don't overthink the logic. The world is a typical feudal monarchy, with pure melodrama and comedy that makes no sense.

* The heroine and the original owner exist simultaneously in this world's timeline. The blurb is condensed for dramatic effect; the story will explain the details.

* This isn't a power fantasy about a strong female lead. The couple comes first. The author is a bit sensitive, so please don't insult the leads. I politely decline strange expectations of a "strong female lead" or nitpicking, and will delete comments. (Bows)

[If you're interested in my new novel, Together with My Rival-Lane Senior Brother, please add it to your favorites!]

Theme: Love is the surrender of free will, and love gives rise to free will.