Meng Mei didn't remember the last time she'd been happy to be alive.
It wasn't that she was particularly unhappy either. She had everything she could ever want, a loving family, supportive friends, a stable life. It was more like she was deeply unsatisfied. Living was a chore for her. Days blurred into months and then years all with her never feeling exactly happy to exist.
The only reprieve she got from the monotony and dissatisfaction was in the form of books. She adored stories of any and all kinds. They gave her a rush that she could get nowhere else.
She yearned for the adventure and magic that she read and even sometimes wrote about. She wanted to find clues and solve mysteries. She wanted the adrenaline rush of battle. She wanted to sneak into forests to find ruins and mythical beasts.
She wanted to actually live.
Meng Mei wasn't built to last in the modern world. Her heart never really belonged to it. No matter how many people she surrounded herself with or how many books she read she couldn't ever want to be alive. Everyone around her could see it too.
Her best friend was the one she always ranted to about her newest book or comic. She would watch helplessly as Meng Mei lit up so fiercely, she never saw her A-Mei look as happy as she did when she was talking about her stories.
Her mother was the one she went to when the weight of simply existing got to be too much. She would explain the same terms of 'transmigration' and 'regression' to her mother just so she could talk wistfully about her stories. Her mother knew that Meng Mei wasn't long for this world because despite her every effort her daughter was never content with life.
In fact there was one conversation that would stick out to her mother, even years later.
They had been in the car, on the way home from the supermarket, and Meng Mei was talking about her novels again when she sighed dramatically.
"I never understand why the main characters want to go back to the modern world so badly." she huffed, "I mean I love you and Bà a lot but I wouldn't look for a way home if I was ever transmigrated somewhere."
Her mother paused before just shaking her head fondly. "That doesn't surprise me háizi."
Meng Mei's death had been a long time coming.
It didn't really surprise her when she closed her eyes for the last time. Death had never scared her, even as a small child. She knew that she would either finally be free or find an adventure in the afterlife.
Either way she might finally be satisfied.
She was very surprised when she opened her eyes again.
She was met with neither the ceiling tiles of the bathroom where she had died nor the stark white ceiling of a hospital. Instead she was greeted with an open sky and grass reeds looming over her.
[Welcome New User! Welcome New User! Welcome New User! Important things must be said three times! (≧▽≦)/]
She blinked at the blue screen that suddenly appeared in front of her face. It was oddly reminiscent of a video game quest pop-up. Experimentally Meng Mei sat up and watched as the screen readjusted itself until it was in her clear line of sight again.
"Huh."
[User!! Please let this system explain everything before you get up!! \(>o<)ﾉ Once you leave this spot you will be spotted by your new body's mother and you will have no time to get acclimated to your new world!!]
'New body? System? New World?'
'No way...'
[It is exactly as you suspect dear User!! After your death in your original world your soul was transported here!! You are currently in the world of 'Seasons of Sorrow']
Meng Mei couldn't control herself as she gasped. She'd....she'd actually been transmigrated, and into Seasons of Sorrow no less.
Seasons of Sorrows, or SoS for short, was the fifth ranked xianxia novel in the world. Meng Mei had read all 863 chapters at least two times. She had even written a short spin-off story that had won a competition and gotten her a signed copy of the first paper volume of the novel.
Seasons of Sorrow followed the story of Han Xiaolian, the young mistress of a small family of cultivators. Her family wasn't well off due to being disgraced by the biggest cultivation sect, the YuHu sect. The reason for that was Xiaolian's uncle had attempted to kill the sect heir on a night hunt. He had obviously failed and his crimes had plunged his entire family into disgrace.
When Han Xiaolian had come of age and was able to attend classes at the YuHu sect herself, she had jumped at the chance. Her time at the sect had her experience bullying at the hands of her fellow disciples, the hatred of the now sect leaders son Zhong Changming, and the setbacks of being a criminal's niece.
Throughout it all Han Xiaolian never gave up though and she slowly wormed her way up in the cultivation world, and into the heart of Zhong Changming. It took 500 chapters and three character development arcs for the romance to blossom. But as soon as it started it couldn't be stopped.
Enter the villain, Lai Huang. Lai Huang was the scorned half brother of Zhong Changming who had been raised as a servant because his father had been unwilling to formally accept him. Hence the different family names. Lai Huang had to take his mother's family name when faced with the disapproval of his father.
He grew bitter as he watched his half brother get everything. Zhong Changming was everything Lai Huang wanted to be. He was strong, beloved, and most importantly the sect heir.
Unlike most villains though he had not been drawn in by Han Xiaolian's heroine halo. It made his scheming seem less superficial, he had a real goal that didn't consist of stealing away his brother's lover. It was part of the reason Seasons of Sorrow was so popular.
And it was the main reason Lai Huang was Meng Mei's favorite character.
"Who's body am I in?!" Meng Mei asked excitedly, pulling her attention back to the system window screen.
[User is now inhabiting the body of the character Meng Xiāng]
Meng Mei's good mood plummeted.
"That brat?" She sneered, looking down to inspect herself. Sure enough she was dressed in a red and white child's hanfu. The colors were that of Libaogong, the palace sect sister of the YuHu sect.
Despite sharing the same family name Meng Mei had never liked Meng Xiāng. She was the spoiled fiancee of Zhong Changming and had been a huge driving force in Han Xiaolian's bullying. She was not only jealous of the pretty girl with astounding cultivation, she was also genuinely appalled that the niece of the man who had tried to kill her fiance's father was allowed to study with them.
Later on in the story when romance had blossomed between Zhong Changming and Han Xiaolian, Meng Xiāng found herself disgraced and discarded. She was still in love with Zhong Changming however so when Lai Huang approached her in search of dirt on his half brother she joined him with the intention of spying for her love.
Fifty chapters from the end she had gathered up all of the damning evidence against Lai Huang that she could get her hands on and presented it to Zhong Changming before disappearing and going into seclusion.
Meng Xiāng was the reason for Lai Huang's downfall. Without her evidence nobody would have been able to prove his crimes. Meng Mei had screamed at her phone for a good half hour when Lai Huang was executed.
It was so unfair.
Lai Huang only wanted people to respect him. He just couldn't get over his resentment for his half brother enough to find a more righteous way other than sabotage.
[Please don't get too upset User (´-﹏-`;) ]
"How can I not get upset? I've become the person who caused the death of my favorite character" Meng Mei grumbled as she picked leaves off of her hanfu. How long had Meng Xiāng laid here?
[But User can prevent that future from ever happening if User so wishes]
Meng Mei paused, that's right. She could.
"What point am I at in the story?" She asked cautiously. Was it before her disciple Days at YuHu? Had the book already started?
[User's body is currently eight years old. You have arrived a couple months before the opening scene of Han Xiaolian being thrown out of a sword shop. You have two year(s) forty eight minute(s) and 7 second(s) until you can become a disciple of the YuHu sect (๑¯◡¯๑)]
Meng Mei digested that information for a second. If Meng Xiāng was eight then that meant that so was Zhong Changming and Lai Huang. Han Xiaolian was a year younger so she would be seven.
"I can work with that." She mused. "Does system have anything more to say? Oh and can you stop calling me user? It's weird."
[As you wish A-Mei.]
[To aid A-Mei in her quest to save her favorite character and live an interesting second life this system will assign quests]
Meng Mei shrugged and finally stood up, "Go ahead"
[New Tutorial Quest: Take Over The Role
• Description: Meng Mei must successfully convince Meng Xiāng's family that nothing has changed.
• Duration: 7 day(s) 59 minute(s) 59 second(s)
• Upon completion Meng Mei will be able to find out the whereabouts of Lai Huang
• Failure to convince Meng Xiāng's family will result in Meng Mei's death and the passing on of her role.
• Accept Tutorial Quest: Y/N ]
Meng Mei immediately picked the 'yes' option.
[Well then, good luck A-Mei!! (◍•ᴗ•◍)]
"Meng Xiāng!! Is that you in the field again? What have I told you about playing in the reeds?" A furious woman who could only be Meng Xiāng's mother marched in the direction of Meng Mei.
Meng Mei took a few deep breaths. She could do this. All for her favorite character.
"Coming A-niang!"