A Reading Log for When I'm Out of Things to Read 一个文荒时的扫文记录

1. 1 中 Making a Profit as the Middleman in a Nationwide Survival Game 中间商赚差价，全民求生 lesliyaNo CP573k WordsCompleted Whenever she got stuck in traffic, Guan Ye would seethe with resentment, wishing she could head out to the wilderness and floor it to 280 kilometers per hour. Then a road-trip survival game where players stockpiled supplies descended, pulling everyone who met the requirements into the game. Looking at the empty, straight highway, Guan Ye was speechless. She hadn’t even gone to Yonghe Temple to pray. There was no need to mess with her wish, was there? [Road Survival Game Beginner’s Guide (Initia 50.9kFavorites56.8kClicks/ch150.9kGifts

   Curator note

   Highway survival + endless dungeons...? It's a rather strange combination. It's okay if you don't think too much about it, but I didn't finish the Golden City part and didn't really like it.

2. 2 求 Survival: The Safe House Is a Magic Academy 求生：安全屋是魔法学院 Pear Blueblue梨蓝蓝No CP835k WordsOngoing After finishing his college entrance exams, Jing Ke walked out of the exam hall, expecting to enjoy a carefree summer vacation. But the next moment, a survival game began. [All survivors, welcome to the game. Gather resources, upgrade your safe house, and hold off monster invasions and natural disasters!] Fog shrouded the area. Everyone started with only a 2×2 plot of land and a basic safe house. Monsters appeared promptly at eight every night, and natural disasters could strike at any time. 29.9kFavorites25.1kClicks/ch186.3kGifts

   Curator note

   It's more enjoyable to watch it all at once; the plot twists are very strong, and the kids are particularly competitive.

3. 3 全 Global Survival: From a Small Wooden Cabin to a Magic Farm 全民求生:从小木屋到魔法农场 Shi Ruyi时如意Danmei (BL)1.0M WordsOngoing After struggling to survive for ten years in the apocalypse, Qi Yu was pulled into a world that called itself a survival game. [From the start, you have a little wooden cabin. It is your only shelter. Gather resources, upgrade your shelter, and do your best to survive.] Wait, you mean: You start with a little wooden cabin that keeps out the wind and rain, with no zombies and monsters attacking you everywhere. Your beginner’s gift pack comes with clean food and water for free, so you don’t have 174.2kFavorites152.6kClicks/ch2.7MGifts

   Curator note

   The main character has a very cute personality, somewhat naive but also very warm, and possesses a very powerful cheat ability. I'm looking forward to the world's storyline.

4. 4 海 Island Survival: Life-Type Player Farms and Hoards Goods 海岛求生：生活玩家种田囤货 Fei Yi绯夷Danmei (BL)2.8M WordsOngoing Nan Liujing woke up to learn that he'd been kidnapped by an evil game System called Island Survival. From then on, he had to say goodbye to Blue Star and spend the rest of his life tied to a barren little island. What do you mean, one island from the start and everything else has to be earned through grinding? Faced with a desolate island where not even birds would land, Nan Liujing's hoarding instincts kicked in. No way. He had to start grinding!!! He went beachcombing, farmed, raised slimes, a 130.6kFavorites126.4kClicks/ch3.2MGifts

   Curator note

   I don't really like this kind of couple mode; it's too sweet and a little bit cheesy (depends on the person). But I really like the survival-related aspects of stockpiling items, and the cheat-like abilities are quite significant. I'm looking forward to the world's storyline development.

5. 5 非 An Unconventional Tycoon [Entertainment Industry] 非典型神豪[娱乐圈] Dispirited Big Ribbonfish颓废大带鱼No CP665k WordsCompleted [Feel-good power fantasy + forum format + showbiz + no romance + tycoon + a touch of the “everyone thinks the protagonist is a big shot” trope] [Paragraph comments are open] Q: How do you become the pride of the Chinese entertainment industry? A: Step one: Bind yourself to a Tycoon System. Step two: Start an entertainment company and make the shows you want to watch. Whenever Sang Yu left a comment on a terrible show, someone would reply, “If you can do better, then do it yourself!” “Don't you 23.9kFavorites29.6kClicks/ch38.5kGifts

   Curator note

   Actually, the whole thing is still somewhat like a diary-like outline. But the forum was quite enjoyable to watch. I really appreciate your criticism. The plot is quite like a wish-fulfillment novel with a protagonist who has unrealistic advantages. Various utopian fantasies

6. 6 我 I’m the Mastermind Behind the Scenes 我，幕后黑手 Loves Spicy Chicken Powder爱吃辣鸡粉No CP1.2M WordsCompleted [Six updates every Saturday, one day off each week] In 2024, Fan Xian faced a crisis unlike any she had ever seen: a high-magic world from another plane was about to invade her home, Earth. Unwilling to let Earth become an alien colony, the twenty-year-old college student had no choice but to make a difficult decision. Even if she had to deceive her fellow humans around the globe, she would usher Earth into the supernatural age ahead of schedule. For the sake of Earth’s future, brave compatrio 28.3kFavorites36.5kClicks/ch169.9kGifts

   Curator note

   I'm not sure whether to categorize it as Western fantasy or Xuanhuan (a genre of Chinese fantasy), but since the third kind of contact is a magical plane, I'll treat it as Western fantasy. The initial setup of using a fake infinite flow format for selection was interesting, and the early parts were more like an urban fantasy novel. However, in the middle, the focus shifted more towards resistance against the alternate world and infrastructure development, which is very characteristic of the author, but it feels a bit like a sequel to "The Legend of the Condor Heroes." The significantly reduced focus on Earth-based artificial superpowered beings made it feel less novel and fun than at the beginning.

7. 7 赶 I Went Beachcombing and Found a Rare Sea Creature [Apocalypse] 赶海捡到了特殊海洋生物[末世] Zi Jin紫矜Danmei (BL)481k WordsCompleted After the apocalypse arrived, it seemed that only marine life had escaped infection and mutation. While everyone else was busy building a base or heading off to join one, Su Ran stayed in his little seaside house. He spent his days combing the shore and gathering seafood, living a fairly comfortable life. ...Until one day, he found a mermaid while combing the shore. Su Ran: Damn it, so the ocean got polluted after all! The mermaid had a magnificent deep-blue tail, a sexy, muscular upper body 9.8kFavorites9.8kClicks/ch7.2kGifts

   Curator note

   I can't really handle the bickering between the main characters; it feels childish and a little awkward... It has some funny moments, but the plot is quite simplistic; it's more of a slice-of-life, heartwarming post-apocalyptic story.

8. 8 在 Opening a Snack Shop at the Imperial College 在国子监开小卖部 Pine Snow Pastry松雪酥Romance494k WordsCompleted [The print edition is now on sale and available on all platforms. Thank you for your support!] Yao Qizhao, Libationer of the Imperial College, was a man of impeccable character, upright and honest throughout his life, never making a single mistake. Then one day, he suddenly broke off his granddaughter's engagement in the street and beat up a court official. His reputation was ruined, and his health rapidly declined. He lived frugally all his life. His family assets amounted to just over twenty 155kFavorites187.4kClicks/ch167.4kGifts

   Curator note

   The ending felt a bit abrupt. The author's style is warm, and some of the descriptions of scenery are gentle and distinctive. The relationship setup later on is a little tear-jerking. The male lead's character is... Well... A bit flat. I don't think the development involving the convenience store is very logical, but it might be because the kind of convenience store we know in real life has disappeared.

9. 9 片 The Superstar of the Set 片场巨星 Zi Jin紫矜Danmei (BL)430k WordsCompleted [New story: After Joining a Dating Show, the Whole Internet Goes Crazy Shipping Me with My Arch-Nemesis] Xue Xiao is a hardworking, struggling nobody who plays bit parts. After offending a big name in the industry, he suddenly finds himself unable to get any roles. He thought he would never achieve his dream of becoming an outstanding actor like the award-winning actor Shen Tingyan. Then one day, an email suddenly arrived. [Hello, you have passed the audition for Movie Set Superstar. Please be 15.6kFavorites16.5kClicks/ch17.7kGifts

   Curator note

   Hmm... Four stars is a bit too much, but the plot within the play can be a little indulgent. The author's writing is good, but I felt the characters' personalities were a bit stereotypical and caricatured. The repeated use of nicknames like "little light bulb" and the constant emphasis on their shy reactions made me feel a little tired of it. The author's writing style is quite good, and the play-within-a-play section takes up a significant portion and is rather engaging. However, the overall plot suffers from the common flaws of entertainment industry novels: it's overly idealistic and formulaic. It's suitable for passing the time when you're bored. (I really liked the description of the little beetle's death; it touched me.)

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