Xie Ran had seen many things in his life: cheating exes, office drama, and even a certain incident involving a fake hairdresser certificate and an unwilling mannequin. But death? That one was new.
One minute, he was in a cozy chair at home, typing away at a boring manuscript, praying to the literary gods that inspiration would strike. The next, he was lying face-first in a pool of his own blood on the cold, unforgiving pavement.
His life had ended because of one very poorly timed knife from an overly enthusiastic fangirl (she apparently had quite the obsession with the series he was editing). She'd caught him off guard, and now, well—he could hardly feel his limbs, let alone retaliate.
But right before everything went dark, Xie Ran's mind wandered into one very important thought.
Should I sue this girl's parents for bad parenting?
---
When he opened his eyes again, he wasn't dead. At least, not completely. Instead, he found himself in a stark, empty room—like a generic design for a futuristic apartment you'd see in a low-budget sci-fi movie.
"Well, this isn't exactly what I imagined death would be," Xie Ran muttered, his gaze darting to the one piece of furniture in the room—a sleek white chair.
Strange. Would Heaven at least offer some comfort?
Staring at the mysterious chair, Xie Ran approached cautiously, glancing to either side as if expecting someone or something to spring a jump scare.
He froze when he saw two things neatly resting on the chair—a delicate silver bangle and a black, somewhat ominously mysterious notebook.
Are these gifts from the afterlife? Did I finally become an angel? Xie Ran mused. It wasn't quite angelic vibes he was getting from this, but whatever. He'd take it.
Unable to resist the curiosity, Xie Ran picked up the bangle first. As soon as the cool metal touched his skin, it warmed up slightly, engraving patterns glowing blue.
Suddenly, the bangle flickered to life, and a small, holographic screen appeared mid-air. It was as if he had just been transported into some sort of video game.
Bebe: "Hello, Host. I am Bebe, your system."
There was a noticeable pause, then Bebe continued:
Bebe (with a slight tone of condescension): "Congratulations. You've been chosen to help fix a plot. Lucky you."
Xie Ran's eyes lit up. He was a transmigrator? THIS WAS HIS DREAM.
"Wait, hold up—I'm a transmigrator?" he almost squealed. This was better than any awkward workplace Zoom call!
Bebe: "Yes, your role is to help me, uh, fix the plot. It's quite simple. Just make sure things end happily, yada yada. Standard stuff."
Xie Ran raised an eyebrow. "Wait. Fix the plot? Isn't that what the writers are supposed to do? Am I just here as an editor?"
Bebe (clearly irritated): "No! You're the one to actively improve the situations, not just twiddle your thumbs. Also... well... let's leave the more complicated things for later."
Xie Ran smirked. "Right, I'll just add 'magically solving problems' to my ever-growing resume then. What's next?"
Bebe (finally getting to the good part): "Rewards! Complete a mission, earn rewards! First reward available now!"
A shiny window popped up before Xie Ran's eyes, showing a list of items with glittering prices attached.