Novel [BL] His Treasured Person - LH Arc 2 Batch Update (Chapters 3~6)

Discussion in 'Community Fictions' started by Ars, Jan 2, 2018.

  1. Manna

    Manna Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 15, 2017
    Messages:
    25
    Likes Received:
    65
    Reading List:
    Link
    Aaah, feeling so sad and happy at the same time! Heart wrenching and heart warming at the same time. This story is precious.
    I can feel the squeeze in my heart. Will be waiting for your next story~
    Lu Hao POV..... huh, I don't need heart anyway *sniffle in the corner
     
    Ars likes this.
  2. -kiai-

    -kiai- Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2018
    Messages:
    48
    Likes Received:
    178
    Reading List:
    Link
    This is written so beautifully :blobmelt:
     
    Ars likes this.
  3. Ars

    Ars Simple-Minded Trash

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2016
    Messages:
    378
    Likes Received:
    1,375
    Reading List:
    Link
    Yeees this is one of my fav BLs!! So good :blobmelt: The two leads in Sharing Rain and Dew felt so sincere, I loved itttt
    Thank you so much for the kind comment!! I'm very happy that the story manged to touch you :blobpats:

    I'm aiming to have Lu Hao POV written and posted by next week... at work I was attacked by a great idea for another short story, but I'll do my best to fend off temptation :sweating_profusely:
     
  4. Ars

    Ars Simple-Minded Trash

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2016
    Messages:
    378
    Likes Received:
    1,375
    Reading List:
    Link
    To the Start of a New World

    Arc 1, Chapters 1 and 2


    There was a little boy sitting in the shadow of the apartments. He looked as small as a cloth doll, especially when hunched over. The strange boy never left the shadow of the apartments, and he watched everyone playing in the park with dull eyes.

    “He’s like a ghost,” the kids whispered to each other. “It’s so gross!” They waved their hands and yelled to shoo him.

    “Lu Hao, make him go away,” one of the girls whined, tugging Lu Hao’s shirt sleeve. She was one of the cuter girls in the neighborhood, her long black hair held back by a shiny flower pin.

    Lu Hao smiled happily. “Okay, wait for me then.”

    He jogged across the street to the old apartment. The little boy sat in the dark shade of the awning, his unreadable eyes tracking Lu Hao’s movement. When Lu Hao stood next to him under the shade of the corrugated metal, the boy looked like he had shrunk, becoming smaller and paler than before.

    The little boy’s head had turned slightly to keep Lu Hao in his sight. His eyes had no light in them, like a dead person’s.

    Lu Hao thought this was a little scary, but also kind of cool. “Are you haunting this place?” Lu Hao asked. Ma had told him about bad kids that played in the streets and got run over, and when they died they had to stay there and never come back home. Maybe this little boy got run over and turned into a ghost, and that’s why he couldn’t leave.

    The little boy didn’t say anything, silent just like a ghost would be. But when Lu Hao reached out to poke him to see if his finger would pass through, the little boy flinched.

    Lu Hao frowned and stepped forward. The boy moved away. His blank face turned wary, little mouth and eyes tight with tension. The boy’s spine coiled with energy, like he would bolt at any second.

    But the boy moved just a second too slow when Lu Hao darted forward to poke him, a finger jabbing into the soft white skin of the boy’s arm. Lu Hao only had a second to realize it wasn’t a ghost before the boy ran away.

    “Lu Hao, you’re so cool.” The girl blushed when Lu Hao returned to the park.

    “Mm.” Lu Hao looked at her. Even with her hairpin glittering under the sun, he somehow felt the girl looked less interesting than before.



    Every day Ma walked Lu Hao home. Mother and son held hands, swinging their arms back and forth, smiles bright on their faces.

    “Ma, I thought I saw a ghost today,” Lu Hao said.

    “A ghost?”

    Lu Hao nodded lots. “I thought it was a ghost, but it was just a kid after all. I poked him to make sure he was real.”

    Ma frowned. “Little Hao, that’s a very rude thing to do. You should apologize and treat him better next time.”

    Lu Hao listened sagely, and nodded at her advice. Ma always had the best advice, and Lu Hao made lots of friends by acting how Ma told him to, so he listened this time as well. “Okay, Ma.”

    When they got home, Ma went to the kitchen to make dinner while Lu Hao studied. When Pa came home it was dinnertime, and then Pa asked if Lu Hao needed any help with his studies. Lu Hao said no since it was easy, and then it was bedtime and everyone went to sleep. And while Lu Hao slept under his warm and soft blankets in his big and comfy room, he didn’t know that in the old apartment building across from the park, a small and skinny boy was pressing a finger to the bruise on his arm and wondering why one touch could leave a mark that lasted for so long.



    Lu Hao saw the little boy walking home from school one day. He was alone, back hunched and head down. He looked different enough in the light that everyone else didn’t recognize him. Lu Hao told his friends to go to the park without him. They complained and pouted, but when Lu Hao said he had to do something his Ma told him to do, they all reluctantly agreed.

    Once his friends went out of sight, Lu Hao ran ahead to where the little boy walked.

    “Hi,” he said, smiling brightly. “My name is Lu Hao.”

    The little boy stared.

    “You should tell me your name,” Lu Hao told him.

    The little boy turned his head, a slight frown on his face, and his hand went up to touch his arm, where Lu Hao had poked him before.

    “I’m sorry for poking you that time,” Lu Hao remembered to say, and tried to look properly remorseful. The boy glanced at him from the corner of his eye, bobbed his head a little, and then looked down at his feet like Lu Hao had never spoken to him in the first place.

    No one ever ignored Lu Hao. Everyone always told him how cool and awesome he was, and adults always said “What a good child”, and when Lu Hao smiled everyone always smiled back. So Lu Hao didn’t know who this boy was to not smile at Lu Hao or talk to him back, but he knew that he didn’t like it. A trace of cunning flashed in his eyes, and Lu Hao smiled even harder.

    He moved to loop his arm around the little boy’s shoulders like he often did with his good friends. Everyone was happy when Lu Hao did that because it meant Lu Hao liked you, and Lu Hao was the best.

    But instead of being happy the little boy jumped away, looking over his shoulder with startled eyes. A second later, he bolted.

    “Hey, wait—” Lu Hao tried calling him, but he had already disappeared down the street.

    And Lu Hao was left there alone, his plans failed, his best attempts useless. He’d followed Ma’s advice and had nothing to show for it. He’d chosen to leave his friends for this, and Lu Hao felt a sudden spark of hot and miserable anger.

    I’ll show you, he thought, glaring at the empty street.



    From then on, whenever the little boy came into Lu Hao’s sights, Lu Hao chased him like a dog after a bone. The little boy was startled into stillness every time he saw Lu Hao, and Lu Hao had caught on after the first few times that as long as he didn’t come too close, the boy wouldn’t run away.

    “Hey!” Lu Hao jogged up to him, smiling brilliantly in a way that made girls blush and older women coo.

    The little boy looked at him like he was crazy, and Lu Hao deftly ignored the stare. Behind him, his friends sighed and muttered, already walking away toward the park.

    As usual, Lu Hao followed beside the boy on the trip back to the boy’s home. Even after all this time Lu Hao still hadn’t gotten his name - in fact, the boy hadn’t said anything at all to him - but Lu Hao didn’t give up.

    Lu Hao told the boy about everything and anything that crossed his mind. Funny stories, the latest episodes of his favorite TV show, Mister Wei’s cute but annoying dog, the weather. Though the boy never joined Lu Hao’s one-sided conversation, he also didn’t tell him to stop, so Lu Hao took it in stride. Eventually, he would wear this boy down, and the boy would finally accept his fate of being Lu Hao’s friend.

    It was going to be a long process, though. Even after all this time Lu Hao still didn’t know anything about the boy; he didn’t react to anything Lu Hao said and just stayed quiet all the time. Lu Hao couldn’t tell if he liked one type of music over another, or if he had any hobbies, or even what class he was in at school.

    At least he knew the boy went to school - he had seen the boy walk out, once, on a stormy day where all the kids had to go home with their parents. Lu Hao’s Ma had come and brought him a raincoat, rainboots, and a big umbrella. Once she’d made sure he was all snug and ready to stay dry Ma took Lu Hao’s hand to walk him out of the school building, but Lu Hao had seen something that made him stop.

    Lots of the other kids had left by then, but there at the corner of the entrance, small and quiet, was the little boy. He stared out into the gusty rain, hitched his bag over his shoulder, and took a few steps forward like he was about to just go home in the rain by himself.

    A teacher noticed and snapped at him, making the little boy frown at the ground. He reluctantly stepped back as the teacher scolded him, a harsh sound muffled by the rain and the noisiness of the remaining students.

    Watching this, a creeping realization came into Lu Hao’s mind. He’d never seen the boy’s parents. The boy had always been alone: sitting alone in front of the apartment, walking home alone from school.

    He wondered if the boy was always alone, all the time.

    Lu Hao pulled his mom’s hand and opened his mouth, about to ask if they could take the boy home, too - but at that moment the boy’s head lifted, and he stared with dark eyes into the rain.

    A woman walked out, thin and pale. Drenched in the rain with only a flimsy umbrella in her hand, she looked like a drowned demon. The other kids grew silent when she approached, watching carefully like she had come to steal their souls. The woman stood at the entrance of the school and turned her cold and bleak gaze to the corner where the little boy stood; the little boy wordlessly stepped forward and joined her. She turned without a second glance and walked off. They didn’t walk close to each other, Lu Hao had noticed. They didn’t hold hands. In fact, they acted like they weren’t even in the same space. The boy walked with his head down to keep the rain out of his eyes, only half-covered by the umbrella with how much distance he kept in between him and the woman.

    Lu Hao’s grip on his own mother’s hand tightened, and she looked down at him with a worried and affectionate expression. Sweeping a hand over the hood on his head, she softly said, “Let’s go home now, okay, Little Hao?”

    Lu Hao nodded wordlessly. They walked home, hand-in-hand and side-by-side, like they always did. This was how moms and sons were supposed to be, so Lu Hao thought that woman with her cold and heartless face must have been a nanny because he couldn’t imagine that there could be any mother who didn’t love their child like Lu Hao’s Ma loved him.

    Lu Hao didn’t see that woman again until a long time later.

    The friendship that Lu Hao had been so desperately trying to forge finally hit a breakthrough on the day that a stray cat moved into their neighborhood.

    It was an angry, spitfire thing, with spiky grey fur and a sharp face that hissed at everyone that got close to it.

    “No, you shouldn’t touch it,” Ma said, pulling Lu Hao back when he tried to go pet it. The cat puffed up where it sat on the gate wall, but when Ma held Lu Hao back the cat settled, tail swishing back and forth, beady eyes tracking them. Ma said sternly, “Cats don’t like when strangers touch them. You need to be their friend first.”

    These words struck something in the back of Lu Hao’s mind. He blinked up at his Ma and asked, “Then how do I become its friend?”

    “Hm,” Ma peered at the cat sitting alertly in front of them. “This cat doesn’t trust people. See how it watches us? It thinks we might try to hurt it. But if we show that we’re safe, it may come to like us. We can bring it a fish later, when we go to the market.”

    “A fish?” Lu Hao asked.

    “Yes, cats love to eat fish. Everyone is happy to eat something delicious, right?”

    Something delicious, Lu Hao repeated in his head. He accompanied his Ma to the market, and while she bartered for groceries, he looked around at the different shops.

    There was a bakery nestled between the stores that sold dry goods and supplies. A sweet smell of sugar and baked bread wafted out of it. Ma and Lu Hao rarely went there; Pa really loved to eat sweet bread, but the doctor said it wasn’t good for an older man to eat too many sweets, so Ma only bought some for him on special days.

    Lu Hao didn’t like sweets, but he remembered all of the girls talking about how delicious the snacks were, and how the boys fought over candies. He pulled Ma’s hand and pointed at the bakery. “Ma, can we go there?”

    “You want to buy some bread, Little Hao?” Ma indulgently lead Lu Hao over to the bakery. At the window, Lu Hao saw all kinds of things: cakes, pastries, and little snacks of all kinds.

    Seeing so many options, Lu Hao became worried. “I wanna bring something for my friend, but I don’t know what he likes…”

    “Oh my, a gift. Well, we can get a few things.”

    They entered the store, and a small bell rang when the door opened. The girl behind the counter was very pretty, with long black hair tied in a ponytail. She greeted Ma and cooed over Lu Hao. Ma told her that Lu Hao wanted to buy a gift box for his friend, but didn’t know what his tastes were like.

    “Oh, that’s not a problem - we can package a variety,” the store employee said, and fetched a box. She asked Lu Hao to pick some of the small treats, motioning to the counter where the store displayed palm-sized dessert snacks.

    Lu Hao checked with his Ma, who smiled encouragingly, and then pointed at some random things.

    “Okay, so we have some pineapple buns, sponge cake, sweetheart cake, and egg custard tart. Will that be all?”

    “Could we also get a few of these breads, please,” and Ma purchased some buns to bring back for Pa.

    The two of them left the market loaded down with food, and when they got home and put away all of the groceries, Ma said, “Oh, we forgot to get the fish.”



    Lu Hao tracked the boy down the next day. The boy peered blankly when Lu Hao said he had something for him, but went quietly to sit at the bench next to Lu Hao. Lu Hao couldn’t wait, quickly popping open his bag and digging out the box. He handed it to the boy, who stared at the little white box until Lu Hao told him to take it in his hands. When the boy just looked at the closed box, Lu Hao had to tell him to open it, too.

    Though he was hesitant, the boy slowly lifted the lid. The scent of baked goods wafted into the air, and the boy’s eyes widened. His face had an expression like he’d never seen such food before.

    He made no move to touch the desserts. His little throat bobbed, but he kept a very still face. It reminded Lu Hao of well-trained dogs that wouldn’t eat a snack until they were given permission, even if you balanced the treats on their noses, held it in front of their mouths.

    “They’re for you,” Lu Hao said.

    The little boy looked at Lu Hao, his expression somehow sad and lost. Lu Hao’s heart leaped into his throat.

    He’d been excited, at first, ready to bounce out of his skin at the victory - but now he was worried that he’d gotten it wrong, and maybe this wasn’t the right gift, maybe—

    “Do you - do you want to eat them?” Lu Hao was about to say that if not, that was fine, Lu Hao could bring him something else - but the boy ducked his head with a small, shy nod.

    A sigh of relief left Lu Hao’s lungs. “Then go ahead!” He smiled and waved to the box. “They’re all yours.”

    A look of wonder came upon the boy’s face. Lu Hao’s heart thumped excitedly. It was the first time he’d seen the boy look anything other than eerily blank, or wary. The boy turned his gaze back to the box and hesitantly moved his hand inside. Before he touched the pastries he glanced back at Lu Hao, who smiled encouragingly. The boy lowered his hand and picked up an egg tart.

    He held the small tart reverently in his hands, the way you would hold a delicate bird. He took another glance at Lu Hao, like he was checking if this was really okay, before he lifted the tart to his lips and took a small bite.

    And then—

    A smile lifted the corners of the boy’s mouth, his cheeks rising and his eyes forming happy crescents.

    Lu Hao watched in awe as the boy nibbled on the sweets. The empty-faced, ghost-like boy could actually show such a sweet and happy expression. It was a fragile, fleeting thing, like a thin piece of paper that could get torn by a drop of rain, or blown away by a single breeze. Lu Hao didn’t move a single centimeter, barely even breathing, too afraid of accidentally scaring away the softness of this moment.

    When the boy finished licking the last crumbs of the tart from his fingertips, he glanced shyly at Lu Hao from the corner of his eyes. He chewed on his thin lips, then lowered his head and quietly whispered, “Thank you.”

    “I—” Lu Hao’s head spun. He’d finally gotten the boy to speak. “You’re welcome.” Did this mean they were friends now? Did Lu Hao finally succeed? The little boy was still smiling, just a slight curve to the shape of his lips, but somehow it was enough to fill Lu Hao’s heart with a strange, swooping feeling of joy. “What’s your name?” Lu Hao blurted, because he had to know, now.

    The boy blinked, and he said in that soft voice like falling snow, “Hong Sheng.”

    ------


    Author's Note

    "Lu Hao POV will be easy!" I thought. "I already finished the story, so writing his side will be a piece of cake!" I thought.

    I'm sorry. Here are nearly 4,000 words of just childhood. There's not even a single zombie.

    Part 2 will be about Lu Hao's apocalypse experience (first life), and Part 3 will be about rebirth.
    I also have thoughts of a bonus fluff/smut?/humor short story about their life after society is rebuilt.

    I'm starting to get lots of ideas for other stories right now, so I might write a few other ones before going back to Lu Hao. We'll see.
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2018
  5. kurousagi4242

    kurousagi4242 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2017
    Messages:
    243
    Likes Received:
    164
    Reading List:
    Link
    I'M MELTING FROM HOW CUTE THIS IS and poor little hong sheng D: gosh he deserves better parents:blobtriumph:
     
    Einon and Ars like this.
  6. MizuLootus

    MizuLootus Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2017
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    20
    Reading List:
    Link
    (灬♥ω♥灬)

    *click watch thread*
     
    Ars likes this.
  7. Ars

    Ars Simple-Minded Trash

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2016
    Messages:
    378
    Likes Received:
    1,375
    Reading List:
    Link
    Yiiii thank you for reading~! :blobmelt:
    Agreed, little hong sheng deserves so much more... (looks away guiltily)

    Thank you!! ╰(*´♡`*)╯
     
    kurousagi4242 likes this.
  8. chamchaworld

    chamchaworld Lazy Chibi

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2016
    Messages:
    1,531
    Likes Received:
    3,194
    Reading List:
    Link
    Andd....there goes my poor fragile heart.
     
    Ars likes this.
  9. ChubbyBayMax

    ChubbyBayMax Online Bookworm

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2017
    Messages:
    122
    Likes Received:
    150
    Reading List:
    Link
    :cry::blobsob:
     
    Ars likes this.
  10. Manna

    Manna Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 15, 2017
    Messages:
    25
    Likes Received:
    65
    Reading List:
    Link
    aiyaaaaaaa so cuteeeee~ need to protecc Hong Sheng ah! protecc Hong Sheng smile ah!!
    Thank you for the update ~
    Hurhurhurhurhrurhurhurhur bo-bonus story?? ah yeaaaaah. me like that~
     
    Ars likes this.
  11. GD2318

    GD2318 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2017
    Messages:
    95
    Likes Received:
    83
    Reading List:
    Link
    Ah thank you for the update.
    Bonus story? I like to vote for a smut story :oops:
     
    Ars and kurousagi4242 like this.
  12. Ars

    Ars Simple-Minded Trash

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2016
    Messages:
    378
    Likes Received:
    1,375
    Reading List:
    Link
    The System is my King!

    There were a couple of things about being an otaku that gave you an advantage over normal people. For example, if a hardcore gamer were to be trapped in a VRMMO, they’d adapt much quicker than someone who had never played a game. If an obsessive light novel reader got sucked into another world, they’d find a way to survive with all of their knowledge of other worlds.

    That was why, when Tsukiji Shiro squinted open his eyes and found himself in a void-like space with a floating ball speaking Chinese at him, he didn’t panic.

    Shh.” Still half-asleep, Shiro gently smothered the squalling ball with his hands. “Sleep now.” He cuddled the nattering thing to his chest and curled up, falling back asleep instantly.

    “他妈的!!” the ball screeched, though Shiro didn’t hear it.



    When Shiro slowly climbed to consciousness, a voice grumbled next to his ear in Chinese, “Are you done sleeping yet?”

    Shiro’s eyes snapped open. He found himself in an unfamiliar bedroom with something round in his hands, and before he could get his bearings, the thing expanded and blew open with a loud bang.

    “What the—” Shiro slipped and fell out of the bed, floundering in a heap with his legs trapped in the blankets.

    While he lay there, the voice came again, spitting out a disdainful word. “Honestly.” Shiro twitched; the voice was familiar, rough and masculine, one that Shiro had listened to hundreds of thousands of times. He struggled to sit up and turn around to look over the bed, and there, floating above, was an utterly handsome man, with a devilish face and phoenix eyes, his muscled but flexible body covered in a stylishly ripped dark shirt and jeans…

    The man turned his contemptuous eyes on Shiro, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “I am System 303—”

    King Jun Zifeng-sama!!!”

    The crazed shout startled System 303, who watched the young boy tug his legs from the blankets and start kowtowing earnestly on the floor.

    “…” When Shiro did not stop kowtowing, the System opened its diagnostics and checked its designated host for brain damage.

    Tsukiji Shiro was a very special kind of otaku. He wasn’t into games, or light novels, or anime; instead he loved doujin music, especially songs made with Vocaroids. From there, he had stumbled into Nico Nico Douga’s online singer community, and it was in that place that he had first heard of the King, the Chinese singer/idol/actor Jun Zifeng.

    Jun Zifeng was a man whose accomplishments crossed all ethnic and national barriers, becoming famous all over the East and West. He was among the first international superstars to have come from Asia, right behind the martial arts masters Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. But Jun Zifeng wasn’t just an action star. His songs shook stages in every continent, and his acting in both arthouse and blockbuster films earned him awards from every acting academy in the world.

    It was unfortunate that this star’s meteoric rise had been cut short. Six years ago, Jun Zifeng had fallen into a mysterious coma, and to this day could not be woken.

    This was Shiro’s lifelong regret. If only he’d been the King’s fan sooner, he could have at least gone to watch his live show at least once!!

    That was why, when this man’s figure appeared before him, Shiro had immediately exploded with excitement. He hadn’t even registered the man’s words; instead, he was thinking, Is this a dream?! This is a dream right?! A really realistic dirty dream maybe, am I going to be taken to see heaven now?? (^q^)

    As the System’s diagnostics checked the host’s mental processes, it naturally registered these words. The System looked at this and was left speechless. Somehow, it felt the need to cover itself up.

    Other than those strange thoughts, the host’s mental faculties were all intact. As such, the System could not abandon this host. The host’s subservience was welcome. It was the host’s duty to bend to the System’s every will, but the System knew that the Mission could not proceed without the host’s active cooperation. “Hey, you. Sit up,” it ordered, as it didn’t feel correct conversing with the back of the host’s head.

    Upon hearing these orders, Shiro immediately sat up in seiza and looked up at Jun Zifeng’s figure with sparkling eyes.

    This shining gaze brought a strange and mildly uncomfortable feeling to the System, who was used to being reviled, defied, and cursed by its previous hosts.

    “Ahem,” the System raised a fist to its manifestation’s mouth and coughed lightly. “I am System 303. Tsukiji Shiro, you have been chosen by the Fate God to serve as the host for changing the world’s path. In other words, you’re an agent of Fate, and I’m your handler.”

    “Sy-System?” Shiro’s jaw dropped.

    Despite being Japanese, Shiro was well-acquainted with system novels. He had never set out to read Chinese web novels, at first, but once he’d been lured into the path of the King’s Servant, Shiro naturally wanted to dig into everything about him. One of Shiro’s favorite dramas was from Jun Zifeng’s early days as an idol. Jun Zifeng had landed a role as the main male lead in an ancient Chinese cultivation show, and Shiro had been sucked into the vivid and foreign world as much as he was by Jun Zifeng’s acting. Once he’d finished the drama, Shiro had cried for a week before going online and searching for the original work.

    It didn’t matter if he had to use online translation services to read it! Shiro didn’t want to let go of this world. And once that story was done, Shiro had nearly fallen into despair until he realized this author had written many other stories as well. So, Shiro had gone down the list. Three of them had been System novels, so Shiro had learned the basics of what those stories entailed.

    The Host was the main character, someone who was pushed around and forced to do this and that mission under the orders of the System, a mysterious voice or technology that could hand out points and rewards to, as well as punish, the Host. Sometimes, if the Host disagreed too much with the System, the Host would even be threatened with death.

    Shiro peeked up at the System, whose form as Jun Zifeng looked radiant with the sunlight from the window behind his back.

    Ah, if it’s this kind of System, I’ll gladly be your dog! I’ll even lick your feet! Do anything to me, System-sama!!!! (≧ω≦≡≡≡≧ω≦)

    System 303 saw these new lines appear in the diagnostic and couldn’t help but think, there’s really something wrong with this host’s head!

    Shiro still believed that he was only dreaming. So he eagerly asked, “Then System-sama, what kind of task do you have for me?”

    The System paused at the unnatural inclusion of ‘-sama’ in between the host’s words. After a second’s analysis, the System realized that it had been conversing in its default language of Chinese. Since all previous hosts had also been Chinese, the System hadn’t run a communication check. Frowning, the System corrected its mistake and switched to this host’s natural tongue.

    “Hey, is this better?” When the Japanese words sounded from the System’s manifestation, Shiro’s eyes lit up with awe. “Idiot, if you didn’t understand me you should have said something.” The system was unfamiliar with why it spoke so scathingly to the host, but the words sounded correct, so it did not probe further.

    In any case, the host was not disturbed by the System’s aggression, so the System continued on.

    “Well then,” it said, crossing its manifestation’s legs. “Tsukiji Shiro. Your Goal is to become this world’s new Protagonist. With my help, you’ll become a superstar who’s known across the world and who’ll reign the silver screen for decades to come. You are to complete the task of a [Meteoric Rise to Fame], inspiring millions of people and ushering in a new age of entertainment. This is the original storyline of this world, however, an unexpected error led to the termination of the initial Protagonist of this world. Do you have any questio— what, what’s wrong?” The System stopped, shocked when tears began flowing from the host’s eyes.

    “What the hell!” Shiro wailed. “I don’t like this plot twist! Zero stars, give me back the initial protagonist!” He climbed up and clutched Jun Zifeng’s leg tightly, like a koala.

    Even the System’s diagnostics could not parse the amount of emotions and thoughts running through the host’s head. The System watched warily as the host clung to it, and spoke somewhat awkwardly, “Fate has already decided for there to be a new protagonist. Cough, you should notice that you’re in a new body already. There’s no going back.”

    The host sobbed openly. The System bore through it, and a few minutes later, the host quieted his tears. “Hey… S-System,” Shiro asked, sniffling. “Do I get a reward for completing this mission?”

    The System was relieved that the host finally acted according to procedures, and answered, “Yes, depending on how well the side-missions and main mission are completed, you’ll be able to choose a reward at the end.”

    “What kind of reward is it? Can I ask the Fate God for anything?”

    If the System could sweat, it would. “If… the host’s accumulated points reach a very high amount, that’s possible.”

    Shiro fiddled with the hem of the System’s pants. This all-black ensemble was the outfit Jun Zifeng wore to his last concert before getting into a car crash. “Hey, System, is this your real face? Or do you pick it based on whoever your host is?”

    The System did not know why the host was asking this, or why he was looking at it in such a way. “I don’t usually take on this form. Only… sometimes. But it belongs to me. Normally I the System will accompany you in the shape of a sphere.”

    “Can anyone else see you?”

    “No.”

    “When did you become a System?”

    “The System has always been the System.”

    “Do you know the name ‘Jun Zifeng’?”

    A [Denied Access] code met the System’s request, so it could only provide basic details according to the Mission Brief provided by the Fate God. “The previous protagonist, defied Fate God and was punished. Reached 85% completion of the world’s Goal. Age twenty-eight, height 185cm, weight 72kg, currently in vegetative state.”

    “What did Jun Zifeng do to defy the Fate God?” The host asked, and the System met another [Denied Access] code.

    “I can’t answer that.”

    The host made a dissatisfied noise. He looked down and seemed to think about something deeply, a pensive and delicate expression on his face. These thoughts popped up on the System’s diagnostic.

    No!!! This kind of tragic end is absolutely no good. I absolutely have to protect my precious King-sama, no, System-sama from Fate. I’ll make sure he’ll never be able to leave me ever again!!! (゚Д゚;≡;゚Д゚)



    …… As the System thought!

    There’s really something going wrong in this host’s brain!

    -----

    Author's Note

    This one's really shameless, I actually want to write a longer novel about this. Basically, I really enjoy showbiz stories like Skip Beat and the parts from QWFOD, but most of the web novels don't go into detail about the process of acting and working as a celebrity. So, I wanted to write that kind of story to fill the hole in my heart.

    Tsujiki Shiro's new body is called Tsubaki Shiro. In his past life Shiro was actually an utaite too - I imagine him with rib's voice. Very distinctive, talented and star-like. Thousands of fans wept when Tsujiki Shiro stopped uploading covers... but when a new starlet arrives with their beloved idol's voice imagine how excited they'll be (°ω°;≡;°ω°)

    As for the pairing, I think it's fun for the top to be the one that gets chased down and climbed. Japanese idol otaku are scary, really scary, their determination is off the charts. If anyone can take on fate and win, it'll be an idol otaku like Shiro.

    Jun Zifeng is the domineering bad boy type, but the System programming has overwritten him. The more Shiro annoys him the more it will pop out. His role is actually more like a mentor than as a System, but he himself won't realize that until much later. Also, his international superstar name was 'JZ Fang'.

    I'll be brainstorming this more in the future, but for now, it'll live as this oneshot / first chapter / teaser.


    Ah, I'm feeling very talkative right now, so I'll keep talking.
    I actually was working on a different short story before this, one that I wanted to post all at once, but I just hit 5k words and am still at the beginning. So depending on how things go, it might not be a good idea to post it as a oneshot after all. It's inspired by Seven Unfortunate Lifetimes since I had just finished reading that and cried a lot.
    It was supposed to be a sweet and fluffy story, but actually I think it's turning out to be some kind of YanderexTsundere battle.
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2018
    iampsyx, Liya, Moy and 11 others like this.
  13. Manna

    Manna Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 15, 2017
    Messages:
    25
    Likes Received:
    65
    Reading List:
    Link
    Waooow OAO really like the teaser. I love strong, determined bottom! All hail power bottom!! upupupupu- gasp *welp almost unleashed my inner fangirl*

    I kinda like Skip Beat and utaite too.. think I'll be camping here /setting tent
     
    Ars likes this.
  14. Ars

    Ars Simple-Minded Trash

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2016
    Messages:
    378
    Likes Received:
    1,375
    Reading List:
    Link
    Heheheheheh thank you thank you!!!!!
    All hail power bottom x 2!!!!
     
  15. MizuLootus

    MizuLootus Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2017
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    20
    Reading List:
    Link
    Aww.. :blobmelt: So fast! Thank you for your hard work! Cant wait for more :aww:
    Do you also post in wattpad? I may or may not follow and vote you :blobsmilehappyeyes:
     
    Ars likes this.
  16. Ars

    Ars Simple-Minded Trash

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2016
    Messages:
    378
    Likes Received:
    1,375
    Reading List:
    Link
    Thank you!! :blobmelt:
    I haven't posted in wattpad, but I probably will once I get some longer stories written! :blob_grin::blob_grin:
     
  17. BScythe

    BScythe Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2016
    Messages:
    52
    Likes Received:
    183
    Reading List:
    Link
    Hong Sheng :blobnosebleed:This uke need lots of love from Lu Hao. That Egg tart part was so cuteeee! Thank you for the update!
     
    Einon, Vi.M and Ars like this.
  18. 324722

    324722 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2017
    Messages:
    137
    Likes Received:
    49
    Reading List:
    Link
    Thanks for the update but I want more!!!!!:blobmelt::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob: please :aww::aww:
     
    Ars likes this.
  19. Ars

    Ars Simple-Minded Trash

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2016
    Messages:
    378
    Likes Received:
    1,375
    Reading List:
    Link
    Thank you for reading!! :blobxd:
    I'll be writing Liu Hao x Hong Sheng part 2 soon!

    Right now my priority is on translating a Japanese BL from syosetu that I just picked up, so it may take a bit for me to update.
    (The translation is at 3 out of 21 chapters done, and I'll start uploading to NU once I finish translating the 5th chapter :blob_pompom: )
     
    Einon, DeanRae, Manna and 1 other person like this.
  20. Hotarla

    Hotarla Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2018
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    25
    Reading List:
    Link
    Ahhhh you did ittt, you made a Lu Hao POV storyyyy. I wondered about his point of view after reading Hong Sheng’s version! Thank you for writing! I actually got teary-eyed reading your apocalypse story...:blobsob: I have like no control over my tear ducts lol! Can’t wait to read the rest!

    Pssst, I also vote for a smut chapter looool. :blobnosebleed:
     
    Ars likes this.