Chu Zu was a novelist in his past life. He died from overworking himself to meet a deadline, pulling an all-nighter to finish his manuscript. After his death, he was bound to the “Marginal Character Correction System.” The system proposed a deal: if Chu Zu could successfully play the roles of hated side characters and “fix” them, he would be given a chance to live again. Chu Zu: “So, I just have to tweak their personalities, right? That’s my specialty!” · First novel— Reader A: “You can dumb down a villain, but don’t expect your readers to be dumb too. Is that so hard to understand?” Same Reader A, later: “Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!!! It was a mastermind’s scheme within a scheme ?! Grandpa Zu, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have spoken so loudly!!!!!” Second novel— Reader B: “Enough with this forced character setting. No matter how many times you repeat that he’s a ‘cute loyal dog,’ all I see is a bootlicker—a pathetic one that doesn’t even bark.” Same Reader B, later: “I take it back!! He’s an invincible, sunshine-bright, loyal big dog! Where can I adopt one? A-zu….let me raise you!!!!!” Third novel— Reader C: “Is the author’s life really that miserable? Do you have to create a character this venomous and unbearable? If you’ve hit a creative block, maybe just go get a real job?” Same Reader C, later: “F**k! Lord Zu, I’m so sorry! I’m an utter fool!!!!” Fourth novel. Fifth. Sixth… “So? My acting might be so-so, but I did a decent job fixing them, right?” Chu Zu grinned widely System: “…Do you even know what a ‘side character’ is?! How does turning them into massively popular fan–favorites count as a side character?!”DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT A ‘SIDE CHARACTER’ IS?! HOW DOES TURNING THEM INTO MASSIVELY POPULAR FAN FAVORITES COUNT AS A SIDE CHARACTER?!” The smile playing on his lips froze..

There was a nine-year age difference between them, and their relationship wasn’t well-regarded, leaving Ruan Mian feeling insecure a lot of the time.

To this, Qi Yan’s attitude was: “It doesn’t matter. We’ll just work hard to make them approve.”

Ruan Mian asked, “How do we do that?”

He slid onto the bed beside her and said slowly, “For this matter, we still need to plan for the long term.”

After the long, drawn-out planning session, Ruan Mian was wrapped in the quilt, revealing a pair of dewy eyes.

1. “If someone bullies you, you bully them right back.”

Ruan Mian: “But I can’t beat them.”

“Then find someone more formidable to rely on.”

She asked softly, “Then… Can you be my backer?”

It didn’t have to be for long, two years would be enough.

1. Ruan Mian had eaten with the man several times, and each time she arrived, the table was already set with food.

Since it was just the two of them at home, one day she finally couldn’t hold back her curiosity: “Did you make all this?”

He shook his head. “This is a perk only my wife gets.” He paused, then asked, “Do you want to eat my cooking?”

She choked on the food she was about to swallow and turned away, coughing violently.

Her small face flushed a light pink, whether from shame or from choking, it was hard to tell.

1. “Ruan Mian, guard your heart.”

How… could that be?

How could she possibly guard it?