Shen Qingyu—no, wait, that wasn't his name yet. Let's rewind.
Chen Yu was going to die.
He knew this with absolute certainty as he stared at his computer screen, vision blurring, heart doing that weird skippy thing that definitely wasn't normal. Energy drink number seven sat half-empty beside his keyboard, mocking him with its false promises of "24-hour stamina!"
Lies. All lies.
"Just... one more... bug fix..." Chen Yu muttered, fingers trembling over the keyboard. The office was empty—had been empty for hours. His coworkers had abandoned ship at 6 PM like reasonable human beings. But not Chen Yu. Oh no. Chen Yu was a dedicated game developer.
A stupid dedicated game developer.
The game in question? "Maiden's Oath: Seven Hearts Entwined"—a trashy, tropey, absolutely brain-rotting otome game that their company had pumped out in six months to cash in on the dating sim trend. Seven male leads, one pure-hearted female protagonist, and enough romantic clichés to fill a landfill.
And one villain. Shen Qingyu. Beautiful, rich, powerful, and destined to die horribly in every single route.
Chen Yu had written most of his death scenes personally.
"Haha... sorry, Shen Qingyu..." he wheezed, squinting at the character sprite on his screen. Even pixelated, the villain was unfairly gorgeous—long dark hair, sharp phoenix eyes, the kind of face that could launch a thousand ships or a thousand scandals. "I really... gave you the worst... endings..."
His vision went dark.
"Route one... torn apart by Xiao Yan's sword qi... Route two... frozen to death by Li Feng... Route three... oh yeah, Wei Ruxue fed you to his demon beasts, that was creative—"
Chen Yu's head hit the keyboard.
THUNK.
The last thing he saw was the error message: FATAL EXCEPTION ERROR: SHEN_QINGYU.EXE HAS STOPPED RESPONDING
The last thing he thought was: Huh. Ironic.
___________
Sometime later...
Warm.
That was Chen Yu's first thought as consciousness returned. Warm, soft, and—he sniffed—was that jasmine? Since when did his crappy apartment smell like expensive flowers?
His eyes snapped open.
And immediately, he knew something was Very Wrong.
The ceiling above him wasn't water-stained apartment ceiling. It was an intricately carved wooden canopy, painted with phoenixes and clouds, with silk curtains in deep crimson tied back with golden tassels. Soft morning light filtered through paper screens that definitely weren't his blackout curtains.
"What the—"
Chen Yu shot upright, and that's when he noticed his hair.
His very, very long hair.
Black, silky, and cascading over his shoulders like a shampoo commercial.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" He grabbed a fistful of it, yanking. "OW! Okay, it's attached! It's ATTACHED!"
Panic rising, Chen Yu scrambled out of the bed—which was huge and ornate and absolutely not his futon—and immediately tripped over his own nightrobes.
Nightrobes.
He was wearing nightrobes. Silk ones. Expensive ones.
"Okay, okay, don't panic," he muttered, stumbling toward what looked like a mirror. "You just died at your desk and now you're having a very vivid dying hallucination. This is fine. This is totally—"
He looked in the mirror.
And Shen Qingyu looked back.
"—FINE! THIS IS NOT FINE! THIS IS THE OPPOSITE OF FINE!"
The face staring back at him was devastatingly beautiful in a way that made his previous life's face seem like a rough draft. Sharp phoenix eyes, elegant features, skin like porcelain, lips that were naturally the color of rose petals. Even in sleepwear with messy hair, he looked like he'd stepped out of a historical drama.
A very specific historical drama.
The one he'd spent six months coding.
"No. No, no, no, NO." Chen Yu—Shen Qingyu?—backed away from the mirror, shaking his head so hard his hair whipped around. "I did NOT just transmigrate into my own game! That's not—that's a fanfiction trope! That doesn't happen in real life!"
But the evidence was damning. The room was exactly as described in the game's background lore: Shen Qingyu's luxurious quarters in the Shen family estate. The carved jade ornaments, the expensive furniture, even the sword rack with three ornamental swords he never used because the original Shen Qingyu was a spoiled young master who couldn't fight to save his life.
Literally.
"Okay. Okay." He took a deep breath, then another. "Let's think logically. I'm either: A) Dead and in a very specific afterlife, B) In a coma and dreaming, or C) Actually transmigrated into the villain of my own game."
He pinched himself.
"OW!"
Okay, so it felt real.
Chen Yu—he was going to have to get used to thinking of himself as Shen Qingyu now, wasn't he?—stumbled over to a desk and found paper. Expensive paper. He grabbed a brush—why was he suddenly good at holding a brush?—and started writing.
Things I Know About Shen Qingyu's Fate:
Dies in ALL seven routes
Hated by ALL seven male leads
Death methods include: dismemberment, freezing, demon beast consumption, slow poisoning, public execution, being buried alive, and—oh god—that one where Lian Hua sells his organs while he's still alive
His hand was shaking.
"I'm so dead. I'm SO dead." He dropped the brush, clutching his head. "I personally wrote seven different gruesome deaths for this character and now I'm IN HIS BODY!"
As if on cue, a mechanical DING! sounded in his head.
Chen Yu froze.
[WELCOME, HOST, TO THE ROMANCE REVERSAL SYSTEM!]
A translucent screen appeared in front of his face, glowing with cheerful pink hearts and sparkles that were absolutely inappropriate for the existential crisis he was having.
"Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me."
[Congratulations on your successful transmigration! ✨]
"There is nothing congratulatory about this!"
[You have been selected to participate in the ROMANCE REVERSAL PROGRAM! Your mission: Turn the hatred of all seven male leads into LOVE!]
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
[Failure to complete this mission will result in your death according to the original storyline! Current survival rate: 0.003%! Good luck! ♡]
"POINT ZERO ZERO THREE PERCENT?!"
The system screen flickered with what could only be described as smug energy.
[Here are your current stats!]
A status window appeared:
HOST: Shen Qingyu (Chen Yu)
CHARM: 98/100
COMBAT ABILITY: 3/100
INTELLIGENCE: 67/100
REPUTATION: -97/100
MALE LEAD AFFECTION METERS:
Xiao Yan (Righteous Sword Cultivator): -100/100 (MURDEROUS HATRED)
Li Feng (Cold Northern Prince): -100/100 (MURDEROUS HATRED)
Wei Ruxue (Demonic Sect Leader): -100/100 (MURDEROUS HATRED)
Jiang Chen (Scholarly Strategist): -100/100 (MURDEROUS HATRED)
Zhao Mingyu (Beastkin Warrior): -100/100 (MURDEROUS HATRED)
Yu Shen (Imperial General): -100/100 (MURDEROUS HATRED)
Lian Hua (Mysterious Merchant): -100/100 (MURDEROUS HATRED)
Chen Yu stared at the stats in horror. "They're all at NEGATIVE ONE HUNDRED?!"
*[Correct! You've really outdone yourself in making enemies! (ノωノ)]
"Why are you using kaomoji?! This is a CRISIS!"
[Now, let's review what the original Shen Qingyu did to earn such hatred!]
"Please don't—"
The system ignored him, displaying a cheerful bullet-point list:
[YOUR VILLAINOUS RESUME:]
Killed Xiao Yan's little sister (accidentally, but he doesn't know that!)
Sold Li Feng's entire clan into slavery (under duress, but details!)
Betrayed Wei Ruxue and stole his cultivation manual (framed, actually!)
Humiliated Jiang Chen in front of the imperial court (okay, that one was on purpose)
Experimented on Zhao Mingyu's tribe (your evil father did this, but guilt by association!)
Framed Yu Shen for treason (also your father, but you benefited!)
Destroyed Lian Hua's organization (this one's complicated, but he blames you!)
[Isn't it exciting?! (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ:・゚✧]*
"I'M GOING TO DIE."
Chen Yu collapsed onto the floor
He'd written these backstories himself. He knew exactly how justified each male lead's hatred was. He knew exactly how satisfying players had found Shen Qingyu's various deaths.
He'd designed his own doom.
[Don't give up, Host! You have special abilities to help you!]
"What abilities?! My combat stat is THREE!"
[You have the VILLAIN'S CHARM! When activated, you can make any male lead's heart skip a beat! However, due to system restrictions, you cannot directly explain your situation or ask for help!]
"That's the WORST ability! And those restrictions are garbage!"
[You also have the DAMSEL IN DISTRESS mode! When in danger, you'll automatically trigger protective instincts!]
"I'm a grown man!"
[Not anymore! Now you're a beautiful young master! ✨]
Chen Yu wanted to cry. Actually, he was crying. Tears were streaming down his face.
[Oh! First quest unlocked!]
[QUEST: SURVIVE YOUR FIRST ENCOUNTER]
[Reward: Basic Survival Pack, +1 to all stats]
[Time Limit: 3 hours]
[Note: Xiao Yan is currently 2 hours away from this estate and approaching with murderous intent! ♡]
"TWO HOURS?!"
Chen Yu scrambled to his feet, panic overriding everything else. Xiao Yan. The righteous protagonist of Route One. The sword cultivator with a justice complex and a dead sister complex. The one who, in the original game, broke into Shen Qingyu's estate and cut him down in the garden.
He had two hours.
"Okay. Okay!" Chen Yu paced frantically, mind racing. "I need a plan. I need— Wait, can I just leave?! Can I just pack up and run away?!"
[Negative! Fleeing will trigger the MANHUNT event! All seven male leads will pursue you simultaneously! Survival rate: 0.001%!]
"THAT'S WORSE!"
[You must face your fate, Host! ☆]
A knock sounded at the door.
"Young Master Shen?" A female voice called out. "Are you awake? Breakfast is ready."
Chen Yu's mind went blank. Servants. Right. Shen Qingyu had servants. The original Shen Qingyu had been a young master of a wealthy cultivation family, with maids and attendants and—
Wait.
An idea formed. A terrible, desperate idea.
"Come in," he called out, and was startled by how smooth and melodious his new voice was.
The door opened, and a young maid entered with a tray. She froze when she saw him, eyes widening.
"Y-Young Master? Are you... crying?"
Oh right. He was still crying.
Chen Yu made a split-second decision. If he was going to survive this, he couldn't act like the original Shen Qingyu. The cold, arrogant, dismissive villain. He needed to be different.
"I..." he let his voice crack, channeling every ounce of stress and fear he was actually feeling, "I've made terrible mistakes."
The maid blinked, clearly shocked. "Young Master?"
"I need to make amends," Chen Yu continued, surprised by how easily the tears came. Probably because he was genuinely terrified. "I need to fix everything before it's too late. Help me—" he grabbed her hands, making her squeak, "—how do I apologize for ruining someone's life?"
The maid stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
I don't know, Young Master? Perhaps... a letter?"
A letter. Right. He could write a letter to Xiao Yan. Apologize. Explain. No, wait, the system said he couldn't explain directly. But he could apologize. He could do SOMETHING other than just wait to be murdered.
"Yes. Yes! Paper, brush, ink! Now!"
The maid scrambled to comply, clearly bewildered by her young master's sudden personality change.
Chen Yu sat at the desk, hands shaking. He had two hours to write something that would save his life.
No pressure.
[GOOD LUCK, HOST! ♡]
"I hate you so much," Chen Yu muttered to the system.
[That's the spirit! (◕‿◕✿)]
With a deep breath, Chen Yu dipped the brush in ink and began to write what was possibly the most important letter of his two lives.
Dear Xiao Yan,
I know you want to kill me. You have every right to. But please, give me a chance to explain—
He paused. No, too direct. The system would probably penalize him.
He crumpled the paper and started again.
Dear Xiao Yan,
I am a piece of garbage who doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as you—
Too pathetic? Could you be too pathetic when you were literally begging for your life?
[Current time until Xiao Yan's arrival: 1 hour, 47 minutes!]
"STOP HELPING!"
Chen Yu grabbed another sheet of paper, closed his eyes, and just... wrote. From the heart. From the terrified, desperate heart of a man who absolutely did not want to experience death by sword qi.
And in the distance, like fate's terrible drumbeat, he could feel it.
The protagonist was coming.
And Chen Yu—no, Shen Qingyu—was absolutely, completely, utterly screwed.
[AUTHOR'S NOTE:] Poor Shen Qingyu! Or should we say, poor Chen Yu? 😂 Will his letter save him? Will Xiao Yan show mercy? Will the system ever stop being so aggressively cheerful? Find out in Chapter 2!
Don't forget to leave comments! Our MC needs emotional support! And maybe survival tips! Mostly survival tips! 💕