Leaving the game world and looking at the unfamiliar surroundings,
Sheng Sheng felt a sense of emptiness.
This was how gaming addicts were…
Compared to reality, the online world was far easier for them to immerse themselves in.
Not to mention that Sheng Sheng had transmigrated into a novel.
Looking at the face in the mirror—about seventy percent similar to her original appearance—Sheng Sheng scratched her head and finally began to fully recall the romance-driven main plot of the original novel, aside from the game mechanics.
First of all, the book she had transmigrated into was a holographic romance MMO novel called *Only Be Your Bound Healer*.
Fortunately, Sheng Sheng had read this brainless romance novel back in her ignorant youth.
Unfortunately, the identity she transmigrated into wasn't the female lead, nor the female lead's best friend—
but a cannon-fodder female supporting character.
In the original story, this female supporting character who shared her name didn't even survive past the first thirty thousand words.
She died in real life.
Who knew why a sweet romance novel would end up with an actual death?
But that was exactly how the original novel was written.
—In the original plot, this female supporting character had secretly loved the male lead for many years. The male lead had a cold personality and no other women around him. Believing her idol was unattainable, she only watched him silently from the sidelines.
Then, one day, the female lead appeared.
And what kind of existence was the female lead?
The author's beloved daughter, of course.
The moment she appeared, the male lead instantly lost his heart—thinking she was pure, cute, unpretentious, and completely different from all the other flashy women coveting his looks and money.
Naturally, to hook readers, the novel couldn't let the romance progress too quickly. There had to be ambiguity, push-and-pull.
To the male and female leads, this was flirtatious fun. To readers, it was sweet candy.
But to the cannon-fodder female supporting character, it was a damn white lotus green-tea bitch dangling her male god.
So, predictably, the cannon-fodder female supporting character went to warn the female lead to stay away from her male god. The pitiful female lead was frightened and instantly overwhelmed with grievance.
What followed was the kind of plot readers loved.
—Somehow, the male lead found out about the incident that both women had sworn to keep secret. He then turned around and threatened the cannon-fodder female supporting character, forbidding her from ever appearing in front of the female lead again.
In fact, the cannon-fodder female supporting character never did appear in the game again.
Because she was cannon fodder, no one cared.
Only at the very end of the novel did the author briefly mention that the cannon-fodder female supporting character, after being verbally abused by her male god, logged off in a daze. With no family or friends to comfort her, she was later hit by a car while crossing the street and died.
After recalling all of this, Sheng Sheng: "…MDZZ."
TL:
MDZZ is Chinese internet slang.
It comes from "妈的智障" (mā de zhì zhàng).
妈的 → "damn it / fucking"
智障 → "idiot" (used as an insult online)
So MDZZ ≈
"fucking idiot" / "this is so stupid" / "are you brain-dead?"
That curse was directed both at the heavens that made her transmigrate and at the original cannon-fodder female supporting character.
"Car, house, no mortgage, cute voice, good looks, great body—and you still had to hang yourself on one man???" Sheng Sheng sighed, utterly unable to understand how love-brained girls thought.
She understood even less how her younger self had managed to finish reading that novel.
…
Following the instruction manual and the original owner's memories, Sheng Sheng refilled the login pod's nutrient fluid. Then she sat on the bed and began thinking about what to do next.
Her original body had already been crushed into minced meat by a truck—going back was impossible. And deep down, a vague voice seemed to tell her that the original owner had already left, and this body now belonged to her.
That was fine.
In her original world, she had no parents, no dependents. One person eating meant the whole family was fed. She was a shut-in anyway—her closest contacts were all online friends. Through a screen, who cared if you were human or dog? If she vanished, at most the raid leader would complain a bit.
Changing worlds was just changing where she stayed inside. As long as the heart was at peace, anywhere could be home. Sheng Sheng had always been adaptable.
Besides—this world had holographic games! How could that not be perfect?
The only thing worth worrying about was whether the world would still run according to the original plot.
"I should test it," Sheng Sheng said, resting her chin on her hand. "First, avoid contact with the male and female leads and actively detach from the plot. See if I get plot-killed. If I'm still alive after a few days, I'll just focus on making money."
As for how to make money—
That was easy for Sheng Sheng.
—She'd simply return to her old profession.
The game described in *Only Be Your Bound Healer* was exactly the one she'd just played: *Earth Online*.
It was the world's only holographic MMO. For unknown reasons, governments across the globe strongly supported it—some even officially endorsed currency exchange.
At its peak, the exchange rate reached 1 gold coin for 100 RMB.
In the mid-to-late game, many people could support themselves solely by playing.
For someone like Sheng Sheng—single, with no dependents, an early player who knew the game well—earning a living through gameplay would be no problem at all.
Not to mention that she'd started off strong, already owning a full set of over-tier equipment. With a bit more effort, she might truly reach the peak of life—making big money and raising little wolf-dogs or milk-dogs or whatever.
TL: DOGS
…
After planning the near future, Sheng Sheng decided to head out.
—She needed to buy daily necessities.
More importantly, the login pod's nutrient fluid was running low.
The original owner had only played the game to chase after her male god and didn't care about the game itself, so she'd only bought a few days' worth of the cheapest nutrient fluid.
Sheng Sheng: How could that be acceptable? Suffer anything but the game—be poor in anything but gear!
So this trip, Sheng Sheng planned to stock up on a full month's worth of nutrient fluid.
She would've liked to buy even more—ideally a whole year's supply—but the original owner's wallet wasn't that thick, and nutrient fluid didn't last that long anyway.
…
Perhaps because the author didn't want to overbuild the setting, this world's technological level was actually quite similar to Sheng Sheng's original world.
There were no floating cars or mechs everywhere—electronics were basically at the Internet level.
By comparison, *Earth Online* felt like alien technology.
But this was a novel world, so even if Godzilla fought Iron Man downtown, Sheng Sheng felt she could calmly watch.
Relying on the original owner's memories, Sheng Sheng first went to a specialty store to buy the nutrient fluid she'd been craving. Then she went to the market for groceries. On the way home, she ducked into a small shop to buy a few odds and ends.
The city was bustling, filled with all kinds of people. No one would imagine that the pretty girl who'd just passed them was a transmigrator.
Sheng Sheng hummed a tune as she returned home.
By then it was evening. A glance at the time showed it was already 7 p.m.—prime dinner time.
In her original world, Sheng Sheng had lived alone and was long used to cooking. Simple home-style dishes—four dishes and a soup—were on the table within half an hour.
"To celebrate my transmigration into this world," Sheng Sheng took a bite of freshly cooked spicy diced chicken, raised her glass, and said, "Cheers!"
Smooth on entry, a burning line down the throat.
Probably psychological, but the cola in this novel world just tasted better.
After dinner, Sheng Sheng tidied up a bit and prepared to take out the trash.
The neighborhood the original owner lived in was somewhat remote, with mediocre property management. Taking out the trash required several minutes of walking, excluding stairs.
Sheng Sheng had no complaints. As a modern gaming addict, she advocated healthy addiction—post-meal walks were standard for digestion.
Downstairs, trash out, upstairs.
Everything went smoothly.
Sheng Sheng couldn't help humming again—until she saw the unknown creature half-lying at her doorstep.
The tune cut off abruptly.
It wasn't truly "unknown." Approaching closer under the dim corridor lights, she could tell it was a man.
A very good-looking man.
He looked to be in his early twenties. More youth than man. Excellent build, even better features—sharp and sculpted, deep-set eyes, high nose, thin lips.
More importantly, his aura was outstanding. Even half-reclining on the concrete floor, he carried an air of nobility that clearly didn't belong to an ordinary person.
They say beauties should only be admired from afar.
Sheng Sheng felt that made perfect sense.
So she stood there and admired him quietly for dozens of seconds—paying special attention to his deep eyes, appreciating what it meant to have galaxies in one's gaze.
Then she stepped forward.
The man's eyes followed her movements, his gaze deep and unreadable.
He watched silently as Sheng Sheng carefully approached, carefully stepped over his long legs stretched on the ground, carefully entered her home—
and carefully shut the door with a crisp *bang*.
The man: "…"
Inside the apartment.
Sheng Sheng locked the door, then spent a few more minutes installing the safety chain.
As for the man outside?
Question: Why did Xiao Ming's grandfather live to ninety?
TL:
This is a Chinese joke.
The full meme format is:
问:小明的爷爷为什么能活到九十岁?答:因为他不多管闲事.
Translation:
Q: Why did Xiao Ming's grandfather live to ninety?A: Because he didn't meddle in other people's business.