Chapter 3 – Strategy
“Then hurry up and say it.”
“Put me down first.”
“You speak first.”
“Then come closer.”
Shi Huai didn’t think much of it. He turned his face sideways, bringing his right ear closer to Shao Leyan.
Suddenly, something soft and springy brushed his earlobe.
Pop!
A shamefully crisp kiss echoed next to his ear, and both of them froze.
The moment they realized what had just happened, Shi Huai flung Shao Leyan away, clutching his kissed ear, eyelid twitching with fury.
Shao Leyan rolled on the ground, diving straight into Le’an’s arms. In the next second, just as a wind blade slashed toward them, the two vanished into thin air.
Shi Huai’s knuckles cracked as he clenched his palm. “Don’t let me see you again.”
In the car.
Shao Leyan happily examined the black fitted combat suit Le’an gave her. Her long hair was tied up in a ponytail, making her look like a cool, cold-blooded assassin.
Compared to Shao Leyan’s carefree brightness, Le’an was nowhere near that calm.
His head was filled with the scene of Shao Leyan kissing Shi Huai. When did his heroine become so forward?
“Why did you kiss Shi Huai just now?”
Shao Leyan replied confidently, “That was the only way to make him throw me away quickly.”
“What if he didn’t throw you away and instead took advantage of you? You’re still a virgin—how much of a loss would that be?!”
Shao Leyan’s gaze darted away.
“H-How do you know?”
“I know everything about you. Don’t forget—I’m your system.”
A warm feeling rose in Shao Leyan’s chest.
“Then you should know… every time I tried to get close to Xiao Yi, he dodged me. I figured Shi Huai would be the same. He’s such a proud man—having a woman he doesn’t know kiss him must’ve pissed him off.”
“What if he got angry and killed you?”
“I’m not that easy to kill.” Thinking of her ridiculous power, Shao Leyan felt a headache coming. “Shi Huai said I have a resurrection ability. Doesn’t that mean I can’t die anyway?”
Shao Leyan then carefully explained everything that happened while Le’an was gone.
Le’an pieced together the events and organized his thoughts.
“You suffered severe trauma in your original world. That affects your physical constitution in this new one. Your ability was originally supposed to be something I selected for you. But because your body took too much damage, it activated an emergency defense mechanism and awakened an ability ahead of time.”
After hearing the explanation, Shao Leyan no longer resisted her bizarre ability as much.
Le’an lowered his head, ashamed.
“I’m sorry. I promised to protect you, yet I messed up on the very first day. Don’t worry—I finally figured out how to use the ability device. Disappearing without warning like earlier won’t happen again.”
Shao Leyan smiled. “I trust you.”
Seeing she didn’t blame him, Le’an quietly sighed in relief.
“Since you’ve awakened your ability early, I can move my plan ahead.”
Shao Leyan blinked. “What plan?”
“You know this world is originally a pure, sweet romance story. There’s one female lead and six male leads.”
“Six male leads?”
Shao Leyan instantly felt wronged.
Why does the sweet-romance heroine get a blissful life AND six male leads wrapped around her finger?
Meanwhile she, the tragic romance heroine, couldn’t even secure her single male lead—she couldn’t even beat a supporting character!
Same women, why was the gap so big?
Le’an saw her indignation and comforted her with a laugh. “Don’t worry. You failed in your world not because you lacked charm, but because you were forcing the wrong man. A forced melon is never sweet. You need to let go of the wrong person.”
Shao Leyan let out a bitter smile. “Easy for you to say. It’s nearly thirty years of feelings—how do you just let go like that?”
“What’s so hard to let go of?”
Le’an grinned. “I already checked for you. None of the six male leads in this world are scum like your ex-husband. As long as you capture even one of them, a sweet new romance will eventually heal your heartbreak.”
Shao Leyan scowled. “He’s not my ex-husband.”
“Okay, okay, not your ex-husband.”
Le’an nodded furiously, wondering if he had been blinded by pity—trying to rescue the rarest, most hopelessly romance-brained woman in existence.
“Anyway, I already picked your target for攻略. I guarantee he’ll make you forget Xiao Yi. And since we’re new here, having a strong backer will help a lot once your missions start.”
Shao Leyan frowned. “You know I don’t have much dating experience. I’ll probably fail this strategy mission. If I fail… is there a punishment?”
Le’an’s brows creased. “If you fail, I’ll send you back to your original world. But since you’re technically dead in that world… in short, it means dying again.”
Shao Leyan’s eyes widened in terror.
“Th-Then I’ll work hard! I believe you won’t pick someone too difficult for me!”
Le’an lifted his chin proudly.
“Of course not. I reread all the updated chapters of this novel twice and took twenty pages of notes on the characters. I know exactly who you should get close to and who you should avoid.”
“Good. I’m counting on you to carry me.”
“Mhm, leave it to me.”
Then Le’an remembered the unexpected kiss with Shi Huai and couldn’t help warning, “I suggest you stay far away from Shi Huai. He’s the Zombie King of this world. Don’t let his human appearance fool you—he’s cunning and calculating. If you can’t outplay him, just avoid him. Luckily, you won’t interact with him much later. Just stay cautious.”
“Okay.”
Shao Leyan suddenly thought of Lu Chuchen—the one who slit her throat. “Is he also a male lead?”
“He’s one of them. But don’t even think about targeting him. He’s the heroine Mu Jiaojiao’s most loyal knight—his affection level is already 95. You won’t win him over. If you ever get the urge, give up early!”
“I wasn’t planning to攻略 him. Just asking.”
Shao Leyan pouted. “Since they all like the female lead, why do I have to攻略 one of them? Can’t I pick someone ordinary?”
“The novel only gives detailed descriptions of the male leads. Every other supporting character is either cannon fodder or a background prop. I don’t know anything about them—how can I safely let you攻略 them?”
“I get it.”
Le’an puffed out his chest. “The one I chose for you is Fu Xingchen—one of the male leads. He’s like a king in this world—untouchably powerful. His status is sky‑high, his influence overwhelming, and his affection for the female lead isn’t even that high. If you put in the effort, it’s not impossible to win him.”
“If he’s that great… why would someone like him ever look at me?”
“Don’t underestimate yourself. Any woman who becomes a novel’s heroine has something special. Those male leads can orbit a silly, sweet protagonist—why can’t they orbit you, a wounded but beautiful tragic heroine?”
