“Ding! Plot line correction detected!” “Current plot line deviation: 36.1%.” “Protagonist satisfaction -15; current protagonist satisfaction: 65.”
Just as Xie Yunxie led the little Shiba Inu into the pet hospital, he received a series of prompts from the system. The system’s voice could hardly hide its joy: “The plot line has been corrected! We are saved!”
Xie Yunxie raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “But I haven’t had a chance to do anything yet.”
The system did not seem surprised. “It must be an automatic correction by the world’s plot line. The main storyline is the foundation of the world’s operation; it isn’t so easily collapsed entirely.”
“So that’s how it works,” Xie Yunxie said thoughtfully. “Then why did you call me here to play out the plot? Wouldn’t it be fine to just wait for the world to automatically correct the plot line?”
“How could that be the same!” The system said with lingering fear. “Although the plot line can be automatically corrected, it only cares about the result, not the process!”
“What does that mean? I don’t understand.”
“For example, let’s say the protagonist is supposed to defeat the villain in a certain plot, but due to plot line deviation, he is too severely injured. Not only can he not defeat the villain, but he is even on the verge of being counter-killed by the villain. What should be done then? The protagonist cannot just die, right?”
“In such moments, if the host does not appear in time to save the protagonist, the plot line will automatically correct itself. The resulting outcome might be that the protagonist collapses their persona begging the villain for mercy or selling themselves to reach an ending where they survive. That is roughly what it means. Do you understand now, host?”
Xie Yunxie understood. It meant that the automatic correction only cared about fixing the plot line, regardless of whether it was logical or if the persona collapsed. Even if a certain plot segment was temporarily fixed, the collapsed persona and logic would lay landmines for the subsequent plot.
The system sighed. “Look, host. Although the plot line has returned to 36.1%, the satisfaction value has dropped, which means the protagonist was forced to do some things that collapsed their persona…”
Xie Yunxie began to get curious. What exactly did Yan An do to collapse his persona so badly that his protagonist satisfaction dropped by 15 points at once? But for now, getting the little Shiba Inu its vaccination was more important.
Xie Yunxie looked down at the little Shiba Inu on the ground. It clearly still recognized this pet hospital; as soon as they entered, it began to backpedal and refused to move forward.
“Tsk, coward.” With Ming Yi not around, Xie Yunxie unabashedly mocked the little dog. He simply bent down, scooped the puppy up, and walked straight toward the clinic. The Shiba Inu yelped in anger and twisted its head to bite Xie Yunxie’s tie, but in the end, it was heartlessly unhooked from the tie and handed over to the doctor.
Afraid that Ming Yi might worry, Xie Yunxie even filmed a video of the puppy getting its vaccine and sent it to him. Since the dog needed to be observed for half an hour after the shot, Xie Yunxie sat in the VIP lounge, waiting for the observation period to pass, and casually performed a search.
The entry “#YanAnDeniesRumors#” was hanging brightly above “#YanAnSuspectedOfExitingTheCastOfLegendOfLuoChen#.”
Huh, back in the cast again?
Xie Yunxie rubbed his chin. Under the oppressive might of the Xie family, the Yan family shouldn’t dare to help Yan An anymore. Aside from the Yan family, who else could help Yan An return to the cast?
Could the protagonist “Gong” be acting behind the scenes?
But the problem was, it wasn’t time for the protagonist “Gong” to formally appear yet.
In the original plot, the protagonist “Gong,” Lu Yifeng, first appeared at Yan An’s coming-of-age ceremony. After getting drunk, Yan An mistakenly entered Lu Yifeng’s room and muddled through a kiss with him.
Afterward, Lu Yifeng silently paid attention to Yan An until he suddenly appeared to save the day when Yan An encountered trouble at the celebratory banquet after filming Legend of Luo Chen.
Xie Yunxie found it hard to forget this plot point, because after this pair of crazy leads finished kissing and were about to take the next step, they were interrupted by Ming Yi, who had come looking for them.
Ming Yi and Yan An were born on the same day; that day should have also been Ming Yi’s coming-of-age ceremony. Yet, the only protagonist at the event was Yan An. Even after Yan An left the scene, Ming Yi still had to be sent by his parents to search for him.
Being caught by Ming Yi so coincidentally, Yan An immediately assumed Ming Yi was deliberately plotting against him. Enduring his discomfort, he started arguing with Ming Yi.
Because his “good deed” was interrupted, Lu Yifeng felt displeased. Consequently, he rarely intervened in such meddlesome affairs, calling the hotel manager to pull surveillance footage.
However, Yan An had drunk quite a bit of alcohol handed to him by a waiter that night, so there was no direct evidence to prove that Ming Yi had drugged him.
But Ming Yi’s appearance was too coincidental, making it highly suspicious.
The final result was that Ming Yi was locked in a room by Lu Yifeng’s people, both as a warning and a minor punishment while Yan An was sent to the hospital by Lu Yifeng to have his stomach pumped.
With this, the protagonist “Gong” and “Shou” successfully completed an act of “abusing the scum,” pushing the romance plot forward and paving the way for their subsequent reunion.
But Xie Yunxie, having finished this plot, only wanted to ask: Can this crazy pair go to a psychiatric department to fall in love?
Is there definitive evidence that Ming Yi did it? And you just punish him? You really are ignoring the lives of side characters just to push the romance plot!
At the time, Xie Yunxie wished he could reach into the story and slap each of them ten times.
On such an important day as his coming-of-age ceremony, Ming Yi was not only ignored but also locked in a room, only to be let out the next day.
Later, seeing how hard Ming Yi tried to achieve success, Xie Yunxie had been full of anticipation, believing that everything would get better. He believed Ming Yi would surely become strong as he wished and take revenge on everyone who had hurt him.
But it didn’t happen.
Ming Yi sank into the cold ocean, yet the story continued.
It turned out Ming Yi was not the protagonist.
Because he was not the protagonist, all his efforts would be wiped out under the protagonist’s highlight.
They were all side characters unable to resist the crushing of fate.
The beautiful vision pinned on Ming Yi vanished along with his death.
At that moment, Xie Yunxie’s spiritual world seemed to collapse as well.
He suddenly felt that everything was extremely meaningless.
So, Xie Yunxie changed direction, took the newly developed medicine, and set off toward the location of the “True Young Master.”
Who says side characters cannot change their fate?
If the protagonist dies, will this world that he hates so much also disappear?
Then, on the way to the destination, a car accident suddenly descended.
Xie Yunxie really arrived in Ming Yi’s world.
Xie Yunxie was actually very grateful to the system. Now, he could finally slap all those slaps he hadn’t managed to deliver onto the faces of these crazy leads.
…
Xie Yunxie rubbed his temples, vaguely guessing why the protagonist’s satisfaction had dropped by 15 points.
Just as the system said, Lu Yifeng had some dark tendencies; he was not a good person in the strict sense. If following the normal timeline, only after Yan An achieved fame and success and reunited with Lu Yifeng would he have the capital to be looked upon highly by Lu Yifeng and have a “normal” relationship.
But now, Yan An was in a low period, facing the crisis of being shelved. If Lu Yifeng helped Yan An now, the nature of the situation would be completely different. Given Lu Yifeng’s vicious personality, he might define the act of helping Yan An as a “transaction.”
A “group darling” sweet story being drastically revised into “sugar daddy literature,” with the darling protagonist suddenly becoming a canary—it would be a wonder if the protagonist’s satisfaction didn’t drop.
Xie Yunxie had a lead and immediately hatched a malicious plan.
At this moment, the system issued a new task: [Please complete the protagonist satisfaction task, raising the protagonist’s satisfaction to 80. Deadline: 3 days.]
Xie Yunxie feigned difficulty. “Raising it by 15 points in three days is a bit unreasonable, right? What happens if I fail?”
The system replied: [Electric shock.]
Xie Yunxie sighed. “Fine, I’ll try my best.”
“Cut!”
The filming of the scene ended, and Director Ji beckoned to Ming Yi, signaling him to come over.
This scene depicted Ying Wuran struggling to survive in the hands of his enemies, so Ming Yi looked exceptionally disheveled, with a special-effects bloodstain on his side profile, giving him a fragile sense of beauty.
“Director Ji, was there a problem with the filming just now?”
“No problem.” Ji Hong’s eyes revealed a touch of approval, offering unsparing praise to this actor he hadn’t been optimistic about at first. “You entered the state very well, and your action scenes are also very professional. Did you practice specifically before?”
Ming Yi nodded and said concisely, “I practiced for a long time previously to audition for the role of Xu Sanyang in Verdict.”
“Verdict…” Ji Hong mused.
Of course, Ji Hong knew this movie. Xu Sanyang was the third male lead in the film, with plenty of screen time and a likable persona.
But he remembered that the role of Xu Sanyang was eventually taken by Yan An.
In Ji Hong’s opinion, he did not believe Yan An’s appearance was a fit for the role of Xu Sanyang, and his action acting was mediocre at best; it could only be said that he barely managed to fill the role but could not make it shine with the brilliance it deserved.
If it were Ming Yi—
Ji Hong couldn’t help but offer Ming Yi some advice: “You are an experiential actor; for you, finding a role that fits you is very important. Those vase roles without substance do not suit you.”
Ming Yi smiled faintly, with a touch of helplessness.
How could he not understand this principle? It was just that back then, he did not have the choice.
Just like how he practiced desperately for a long time, it still didn’t compare to a casual mention by Yan An in front of Yan Zhiheng. A few words from Yan Zhiheng were enough to erase all his efforts.
Ming Yi thought, he hated it.
He hated Yan Zhiheng’s arrogance, hated seeing his own efforts stripped away by Yan Zhiheng from his high-and-mighty position, and also hated Yan An for pretending to be innocent while taking away his hope, knowing full well what he was striving for.
Seeing Ming Yi’s expression and thinking of the rumors he had heard lately, Ji Hong seemed to understand something and sighed: “Gold will always shine. While effort cannot change the status quo 100%, it is definitely the key for you to climb upward.”
“Since things have already happened, stop dwelling on the past.” Ji Hong looked at Ming Yi and said solemnly. “Just like Ying Wuran’s ending: ‘Trapped in the past, a lifetime of inner demons.’ You can observe, but do not truly become someone within the play, allowing unimportant people to become your inner demons.”
Ming Yi said slowly and obstinately, “They are not unimportant people.”
They were the people he had chased for a lifetime and hated for a lifetime.
He could not forgive them; he could not let it go.
Forgiving them would be a betrayal of himself.
Ji Hong stared deeply at this obstinate young man.
He could now say that having Ming Yi play Ying Wuran was absolutely his most successful casting choice.
Ming Yi was just like Ying Wuran, unable to forget everything from the past. He hated the enemies who had hurt him; only the scalding blood of his enemies could warm his cold heart.
Ying Wuran’s ending was to be possessed by inner demons and die as a fallen demon. The title of the play was Ascending to Immortality, yet in the end, due to his inner demons, Ying Wuran missed his chance at immortality.
This was Ying Wuran’s ending, but it should not be Ming Yi’s ending.
Ji Hong gave a soft sigh and temporarily dropped the topic, asking, “There is a drowning scene in a few days; prepare well for it.”
Ming Yi nodded in agreement. After filming ended that evening, he fell into deep thought.
In the original plot, he was drowned in the sea by Xie Yunxie. If this was the same death method, then even if he could swim, it seemed it would be of no help.
Ming Yi could indeed swim, but if his hands and feet were tied, or if he were put into a box, then no matter how good his swimming skills were, it would be useless.
So Ming Yi thought, should he make some preparations in advance, such as hiding a small knife on his person… would it be useful? Ming Yi searched for the bay closest to the film set, which was about 100 kilometers away—a drive of over an hour. Ming Yi suddenly felt a deep sense of crisis.
Would the “plot-kill” be 100% triggered?
If so, in what form would it be triggered?
If he stayed on the film set, could he avoid the fate of being drowned in the sea?
There were too many uncertainties.
Ming Yi ultimately decided that he would hide a small knife on his body and preferably bring a tracker as well. In case he really fell into the sea, perhaps he could still…
At this moment, Ming Yi’s phone rang; Xie Yunxie had sent a message.
“Are you asleep?”
Ming Yi’s train of thought was interrupted; he responded after a few seconds of sluggish reaction: “Is something wrong?”
The phone vibrated, and a message leapt into Ming Yi’s eyes.
“Heh, come here and open the door for your master.”
Ming Yi: “???”
In the middle of the night, what game was Xie Yunxie playing now?
Although Ming Yi didn’t understand, out of trust for the “imposter” Xie Yunxie, he still got out of bed and approached the door suspiciously.
Through the peephole, Ming Yi confirmed that the person outside was indeed Xie Yunxie, only then did he unlock the door and open a narrow slit vigilantly.
Xie Yunxie held a box in one hand and held the door with the other, pushing the gap a little wider, his expression sincere. “Sorry, I might have to offend you for a moment.”
Before Ming Yi could speak, the force Xie Yunxie applied to the door suddenly increased, pushing it completely open.
Ming Yi was forced to retreat two steps. Before he could stand steady, Xie Yunxie had already stepped inside, grabbed Ming Yi’s two arms to tie them behind his back, and pressed him firmly against the wall.
Ming Yi felt his wrists being bound by something most likely a tie. He struggled to turn his head and glared at Xie Yunxie, who had suddenly turned hostile. “What are you doing!”
Xie Yunxie did not speak, pushing Ming Yi’s shoulders and driving him toward the bed. Ming Yi stumbled, tripped over the bed frame, and fell onto the bed, losing his balance.
His hair was messy, and he was breathing slightly. Seeing Xie Yunxie coming over, he subconsciously half-propped up his body, attempting to shrink to the inner side of the bed.
But the next second, Xie Yunxie caught his ankle with one hand and dragged him straight back. “Don’t hide, stay still.”
Ming Yi felt his ankle being gripped by that scalding hot hand, his senses inexplicably becoming extraordinarily sensitive.
He bit his lip and glared at Xie Yunxie. This guy, what exactly does he want to do?