Chapter 1: Ma'am, I Don't Want to Work Anymore

Su Chen is a web novel author on a certain platform. It is not out of false modesty that he says this; the number of people reading his novels is effectively a single-digit multiplier of zero. In short, nobody reads his work.

It is a blow to one’s self-esteem to dwell on it. It’s like walking into a luxury car dealership and finding that not a single salesperson is willing to serve you—you can imagine how that feels. Fortunately, Su Chen could still hang around his colleague, Shen Yu, to scrounge for some scraps of popularity, hoping that, with a stroke of luck, he might stumble upon a hit book that would make him famous overnight.

The reason he felt so entitled to do this was simple: Su Chen was the one who had brought Shen Yu into the industry. A year ago, she had arrived in Shanghai, exhausted and penniless, looking for him. She didn't have a place to stay, and she could barely afford a meal. It was Su Chen who found her an apartment, lent her ten thousand yuan, and taught her how to write, which allowed her to gain a foothold in the city. It wasn't exactly a life-saving debt of gratitude, but it was certainly a helping hand in her hour of need. Given this history, tagging along to soak up some of her popularity didn't seem too unreasonable, did it?

He opened a group chat and saw that Shen Yu was video calling her fans. Su Chen clicked on it without hesitation. The call connected quickly, and the screen revealed a delicate-looking young woman with an air of feigned submissiveness.

"Hello, Brother Chen..." Shen Yu murmured, her smile looking rather strained.

Thinking she might have been bullied, Su Chen asked with concern, "What’s wrong, Yu’er? Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Um... Brother Chen, I’m sorry, but I really need to rush to update my chapters right now..." Shen Yu said, looking troubled and timid.

Su Chen: "..."

Damn it. I thought you were in trouble, but it turns out I’m the one causing your trouble?

Su Chen dropped his smile and asked softly, "So, you’re hanging up then?"

Shen Yu froze, her eyes turning red as she began to explain in a flustered tone, "No... Brother Su Chen, that’s not what I meant."

Seeing that their idol felt wronged, her fans immediately turned on Su Chen, hurling insults at him.

"Seriously, man? A grown man bullying a girl, aren't you ashamed of yourself?"
"Who do you think you are, constantly leeching off our Yu’er for fame!"
"Get lost, stop showing up in Yu’er’s group just to mooch off her popularity. It’s annoying."

Su Chen ignored the vitriol and laughed lightly. "Whether that’s what you meant or not doesn't matter. What I want to know is, when are you going to pay back that ten thousand yuan you owe me?"

Since the other party was being shameless, Su Chen saw no reason to be polite. Paying back debts is only natural, right? Shen Yu hadn't expected him to demand repayment at such a moment. She was about to start sobbing to play the victim, but Su Chen cut her off mid-act.

"Listen, I know you want to cry, but hold off on the tears for a second. Pay the money back first, then you can cry all you want. Thanks!"

The barrage of insults in the group chat paused for a moment, but the fans quickly found a new angle of attack. "It’s just ten thousand yuan, show some class! How can you be so petty over such a small amount!"

Faced with the blind, ridiculous, and laughable comments from Shen Yu’s fans, Su Chen decided he wouldn't hold back anymore.

"Class? If you’re so classy, why don't you pay her debt for her? It’s easy to talk big, isn't it?"

"Using your past favors to blackmail her—I hate people like you!"

Su Chen: "Heh, even worse than burning bridges, right?"

"As a man, can’t you just cut a girl some slack?"

Su Chen: "What? Is there a gender divide on paying back debts now? Besides, I’m not her father, why should I cut her any slack?"

"Don't be so relentless just because you think you’re in the right!"

Su Chen: "Oh, so you *do* realize you’re in the wrong?"

After this verbal bombardment, Su Chen felt refreshed and in high spirits. As expected, you shouldn't just swallow your anger in these situations; venting it out is the best feeling!

Realizing the situation was spiraling out of control, Shen Yu finally grew anxious. This wasn't good; if this escalated, her "delicate, fragile, and pitiful" persona would crumble.

"Su Chen, stop it..." Shen Yu said, sounding aggrieved. "Ten thousand, right? I'll pay you back... I'll pay you double, is that enough?" She looked as if she were about to burst into tears again.

"That sounds great!" Su Chen said, watching her performance.

"But... from this day on, we are finished. Consider us total strangers." Shen Yu said, looking deeply disappointed.

When Su Chen heard this, his eyes lit up. A win-win situation? Do you think I actually care about you?

"It’s a deal! Today is truly a day of double joy!" Su Chen laughed, not giving her a chance to back out. "Everyone in the group, act as witnesses! The money is being transferred now—oh, wait, it’s already sent."

Shen Yu had only intended to garner sympathy in the group and use moral pressure to shame Su Chen, but he had struck where it hurt, forcing her into a corner. Concerned about the group's perception, she swallowed her heartache and resentment and transferred twenty thousand yuan to him.

The moment he received the money, Su Chen hung up the call and deleted all her contact information. Someone like Shen Yu wasn't worth even a second of his time.

With the money in hand, Su Chen could finally lie back on his bed and relax. Not bad at all. Not only did he get his money back, but he made an extra ten thousand yuan. It was basically free money. One word: satisfying!

But this job as a web novel author... it’s just so damn hard.

Thinking of this, Su Chen felt a wave of helplessness. He had assumed that with his good looks, he would be flourishing in the female-oriented literature market. Who would have thought that in this era of "entertainment to death," his god-given face wasn't nearly enough? You need to do music, play the system, create conflict, chase trends, and push boundaries—that’s the only way to have a chance at becoming popular!

As it stood, his salary of five or six thousand yuan a month wouldn't starve him, but he had to hesitate for a long time if he wanted to eat a decent meal. And that was without a partner. If he ever got one... wait, could I just be a kept man?

"Auntie, I don't want to work anymore!"

He was briefly tempted, but the thought of his supervisor’s two-hundred-pound frame made him shudder. He shook his head vigorously to banish the terrifying thought. No, impossible. It’s not that I can’t handle it; it’s just that I, Su Chen, am not that kind of shameless person!

Just as Su Chen was lost in thought, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.

[Analyzing host's current occupation... Analysis complete... Eligible for system binding.]
[System binding in progress...]
[Negative Emotion System successfully bound!]
[Host is encouraged to trigger anger in others. By collecting "Anger Points," the host can redeem all entertainment products and performing arts works from the "Blue Star" world.]

Su Chen was stunned. What was this? Was this the "System" that always appeared in those web novels? He was very familiar with the concept! Back in the day, these things were everywhere in novels, and almost every manuscript he touched featured one. And where was this "Blue Star"? A parallel world?

Suppressing his excitement, Su Chen couldn't wait to try it out. The system said he needed to collect anger points from others—wasn't that a walk in the park?

Just as he was wondering which friend to pester next, a woman wearing green little-alligator pajamas and looking incredibly sexy happened to walk past his door. It was his roommate, Zhou Yujie.

"Hey, Yujie, wait a second!" Su Chen called out.

"What is it, you little brat? Finally couldn't resist going after the girl next door?" Zhou Yujie stopped, raised an eyebrow, and laughed heartily at him.

Su Chen: "???"