Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

 Cross-dress as an apology

Every single time Zhao Youyue emerges from the Two Dimensional Gate, which of course, is after a long session of taking possession of another person and carefully leading that person’s life, she tends to take some time off to relax and get a good rest.

However, in some instances where she has played the troublemaker and has purposefully caused some havoc, there was no need for any rest. A wicked fantasy of that level is somewhat relaxing in itself.

Whenever Zhao Youyue takes the literary world more seriously, the world instantly turns into her reality. This time, when she shifted as Chu Luoxun, why did she make such a display of a suffering, pitiful figure? Well, it was to make Leng Zi feel the extent of her pain, so that she would be able to depict Chu Luoxun’s sickly condition more accurately and genuinely, and secure the sympathy of the readers.

In actual fact, Zhao Youyue could be considered to be something like a messenger. The more information she sends across, the more material that the author of the book could put to use. This could only mean that the more effort she puts into it, the better the book becomes!

Howsoever, the fact that a large number of readers have great sympathy towards Chu Luoxun’s sickly condition still stands, and this is mostly because they have been entranced, heart and soul, by the sensational writing.

If Zhao Youyue had chosen to hide those feelings, then it would have been impossible for the author to experience it. Anyone could write something out of a sickly appearance, but readers will never be able to empathize.

Without a doubt, Chu Luoxun’s life had been fulfilling and profound. She brought happiness to others, but kept all the sadness to herself. Such a beautiful soul most probably only exists in novels.

Zhao Youyue could never be someone like that. She was more selfish than the normal person, and cared about herself. When she did care about someone else, however, it was mostly out of politeness, or as a reward to someone who has gained her approval.

As a person who found joy in doing good and helping others, Zhao Youyue always appeared as if she was not expecting anything in return. In reality, however, she acts in that manner, as she had already obtained some form of self-satisfaction throughout the process. Well, in such a world, where even a saint can get too full of himself and project his moral values on others, it is no surprise that Zhao Youyue finds joy out of teaching others a lesson.

This summer break, Zhao Youyue was stuck at home all by herself, as she did not go on a vacation. Her ‘dog food’ parents, on the other hand, had already gone on a vacation together, and were nowhere to be seen.

The old Zhao Youyue would have been restless, but now that she had developed a newfound interest in various novels, mangas, TV shows, and movies, paired with the thought that one day she might be able to enter those worlds. It left her filled with nothing, but pure bliss.

She would be able to do so many things all by herself, like go on a trip, do some shopping, have scrumptious meals, get a full body treatment, and not feel even a little bit of loneliness, unlike all the other girls who seemed always to need a companion wherever they went.

Zhao Youyue was at a high-class beauty parlor when she received the Wechat message from Han Leng. Right after reading it, she raised an eyebrow in disbelief. She instantly replied, “The Great Scholar Han, isn’t your first book still brewing in a pot? You are a web novelist, why have you decided to write juvenile novels now?”

Looking at the reply from Lady Zhao, Han Leng almost wanted to reply, saying that he was just fooling around. However, no matter what, he would have to reveal his identity sooner or later anyway, as he would be signing and selling his books later on. Might as well do it now!

The reason as to why he started writing juvenile novels, obviously, had something to do with Zhao Youyue. Han Leng could never forget that one fine day which had inspired him to write the story. It was a day in April, right when the cherry blossoms bloomed in all of their beauty, where he had the opportunity to watch Zhao Youyue perform.

From the beginning, “Beautiful April” was only meant to be written, to spite Zhao Youyue. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned, and now Chu Luoxun has ended up becoming the hidden protagonist.

However, no matter what happens, considering how much Lady Zhao liked “Beautiful April,” she would surely be there in person when the signed books go on sale.

Since his real identity will inevitably be known, Han Leng sees no point to remain to lurk about in the dark anymore. Moreover, he was just a high school student, and deep in his heart there lay dormant greed, the desire to become well-known for his work. Instead of keeping a low-profile and remaining mysterious, he yearned for a taste of fame and glory.

Even so, Han Leng, who assumed he understood Lady Zhao well enough, knew that he had to act fast. As Lady Zhao is somewhat arrogant, and strongly despised liars, he would be better off admitting his mistakes quickly, before she throws a fit.

If he willingly admits his mistakes, he will surely have a chance to live on.

Zhao Youyue approved of people who carried themselves well and knew where they stood.

If Zhao Youyue’s mother, Wang Hua, appears bossy on the surface, then Zhao Youyue could be said to be the type of girl who does not appear bossy, but is far more nefarious on the inside, along with a sense of self-entitlement and superiority complex, which was actually way worse compared to her mother!

Looking at how Lady Zhao is able to retain her composure while dealing with strangers, she had to possess some excellent acting skills.

To prove the point, her true self only shows itself in front of certain people. When she is with her friends, like Jiang Qing, or Han Leng, she treats them like they are merely her sidekicks. She is extremely self-centered and very used to the world revolving around her.

Zhao Youyue’s favorite was none other than Su Li, who was great at bootlicking and flattering her, to the point where Zhao Youyue has not only decided to treat her well, but has also considered her as one of her own, and has sworn never to mistreat her.

Since the decision to admit his mistakes was indeed a tough one to make, why would Han Leng unnecessarily give up halfway through?

After logging into Leng Zi’s QQ account, he sent a message to Zhao Youyue. “Lady Zhao, there is no point lying, it really is me, Han Leng. I have just finished writing the ending for “Beautiful April,” would you like to have a look?”

While reading the message from Leng Zi, Zhao Youyue suddenly realized – both of their names had “Leng” in it!

Momentarily dumbfounded, she still found it hard to believe. She went on to consider the possibility that Leng Zi’s QQ account might have been hacked by Han Leng.

However, as a girl capable of rational thinking, Zhao Youyue knew how improbable that would be. Little would she know that after trying so hard to figure out Leng Zi’s true identity for such a long time, he would actually be the person sitting right beside her in school!

Feeling a bit embarrassed that she had been played the fool, Zhao Youyue retorted, “Han Leng! You have become so sly. Never in my life would I have thought that you were so capable of acting as a girl and deceiving others. Your acting was perfect, seamless even. What the hell was with the voice in the beginning? I demand an honest explanation!”

Seeing Lady Zhao lose her temper is a rare sight. Even though Han Leng felt nervous, that emotion was paired with a tingling sense of excitement. There is not much choice when you are dealing with someone like Lady Zhao, her sense of superiority is always overshadowing, and can easily trigger any guy’s desire to triumph over her.

Even so, Han Leng retained his composure and replied, “I used a voice changing tool… I even purposely bought this QQ account with the name Leng Zi, and emphasized on writing the story from a female perspective.”

Then, Han Leng went on to tell everything transparently, to the best of his abilities, and sincerely apologized to Zhao Youyue.

At that moment, Zhao Youyue felt glad that she was a decent and upright person, one who was without a polluted mind. If not for that, she would have accidentally blurted out indecent things like what Su Li did when she was chatting with Han Leng. How would she have the courage to face Han Leng, then!

Zhao Youyue is nothing short of a normal, pure, and innocent high school girl!

“I suppose you still remember what I told you before this?”

“What?”

“If Leng Zi really turns out to be a guy, I want him to cross-dress!”

“Please don’t, Lady Zhao. Please have mercy on me…”

“Consider this your punishment for lying to me. You should be glad that I am not ending our ties as of yet. In the meantime, send me the ending of the story, so that I can have a look.”

“…”

Suddenly remembering that he had previously made a promise to cross-dress after he concludes the death of Chu Luoxun, an idea popped into Han Leng’s mind. To quell the anger of Lady Zhao, as well the readers, he is bound to cross-dress anyway, so wouldn’t he essentially be killing two birds with one stone, and getting over with it, once and for all?

Han Leng is the type of person who always manages to keep his promises, unlike Su Li, who was clearly all talk.

As someone who despised authors who alter their stories on purpose to defy the fancies of their readers, never would Han Leng have thought that one day, he would face a similar problem. The funny thing is that, for him, it had all been unintentional. The only thing that had droved Han Leng to do such a thing, was none other than his love for Chu Luoxun, which was on a totally different level, compared to what the readers felt for her…