Transmigrating into the Rival's Fanfiction - Chapter 3

Sheng Mingluo barely managed to endure until Qin Zhi finished showering. By the time he emerged from the bathroom, she felt like she was about to wither like a flower.

The moment the bathroom door opened, she nearly burst into tears. Her eyes, glistening with a pleading look, turned to Qin Zhi as she asked, a little embarrassed, “Um… I was wondering if there’s a bathrobe in the bathroom? If not, a towel would be fine too!”

Her pitiful appearance almost made Qin Zhi waver. He opened his mouth to say, “Can’t you just get it yourself?”

But the next second, that mechanical voice echoed in his mind again.

“Respected Host, if you wish to return and not remain here forever, you must follow the script and my instructions—please gently retrieve the bathrobe for your CP and help them put it on.”

Fine, he’d endure.

Qin Zhi resolved that once he returned, he would definitely find out who wrote this fanfiction. Writing was a personal hobby, but wishing for his own imagined CP to become real was going too far!

After a long silence, Sheng Mingluo felt the air thicken with awkwardness. Her toes were practically digging a magical fairy castle into the bedsheets.

“Yes, there is. I’ll get it for you.”

Qin Zhi softened her voice slightly. Isn’t this just acting? she thought. It was her specialty, her signature skill.

Fooling an NPC with a performance? Child’s play.

Wow, is this for real? Sheng Mingluo thought, almost disbelieving. When did she become so gentle? At the office, Qin Zhi always carried herself with an aloof, superior air, never acknowledging anyone, not even the company’s top executives.

She was the company’s notoriously cold ice queen, leaving anyone who crossed her path covered in icy shards.

I asked you to ship an obscure pairing, not a downright cursed one! Sheng Mingluo couldn’t even begin to imagine such a person being passionate in bed.

Turning back to the bathroom, Qin Zhi reached for the bathrobe hanging on the rack and tossed it to Sheng Mingluo, who was sitting on the bed wrapped in a white blanket.

The bathrobe struck Sheng Mingluo squarely in the face, freezing her forced smile in place. Even if she’s my senior, this is just asking for a punch, she thought.

Both women heard a ding in their minds.

Greetings, esteemed Host. Your failure to adhere to the character’s established persona has resulted in a deduction of 1 point from your completion score!

The cold, merciless announcement froze Sheng Mingluo and Qin Zhi in their tracks.

They exchanged bewildered glances as Sheng Mingluo mentally summoned the System, muttering under her breath, “What the hell is going on? I haven’t done anything wrong!”

“Sorry, Host,” the System replied, “but you won’t be able to return unless both you and the other protagonist in front of you follow the plot.”

“Are you kidding me? What kind of ridiculous rule is this?!”

“She doesn’t want to go home, but I do! Do you understand?!”

Sheng Mingluo nearly choked on her own rage. Was there any justice left in the world? What kind of absurd rule was this? Why was she being punished for someone else’s actions?

Clutching her bathrobe, Sheng Mingluo threw caution to the wind and stormed into the bathroom, desperate to wash away the frustration.

Watching her frantic retreat, Qin Zhi closed his eyes, replaying the System’s earlier message in his mind. So, they had to act like a loving couple to clear the game?

“Correct, Host. Please adhere to the plot from now on.”

But I haven’t even read the script! How am I supposed to know how the story unfolds?

Qin Zhi pressed her hand to her forehead, her mind blank. She had no memory of ever reading fanfiction about this world. Surely she hadn’t been pulled into this reality for no reason.

“Hmm… perhaps you could ask your partner?”

“I’m not familiar with the specifics, Host, but rest assured, I’ll provide prompts during key plot points.”

That’s as helpful as a fart in the wind, Qin Zhi thought.

She picked up her phone, which she had tossed beside the pillow. Several WeChat messages from her agent were waiting. Aside from the altered timeline, the social circles in this world seemed largely familiar, populated by the same figures she knew.

Even her original company remained unchanged.

When Sheng Mingluo emerged from the shower, the awkwardness between them returned. Noticing the intimate marks visible beneath her loose bathrobe—a landscape of purplish bruises—Sheng Mingluo’s trembling legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the sofa.

Did the author even bother with basic anatomy when writing this?

Ignoring her robe’s loosened sash, Sheng Mingluo steeled herself and pinched her thigh for courage. She had a vague suspicion. When the System’s notification flashed “Clearance Value -1,” both women had frozen in shock.

“Senior… I might be speaking out of turn, but please don’t think I’m crazy. I was filming in Hengdian yesterday, and I have no idea why we’re suddenly lying in the same bed…”

A long silence hung in the air. Sheng Mingluo began nervously curling her toes against the floor, wondering if she’d said the wrong thing. Maybe she shouldn’t have revealed her true identity so quickly; she should have at least pretended to be a native of this world.

“It’s alright,” Qin Zhi replied. “I also inexplicably ended up here…”

But as soon as he finished speaking, a cold, mechanical ding echoed in both their minds, followed by the ruthless announcement:

Due to the Host revealing plot details and violating character settings—Clearance Value -50!

“Hey! Explain yourself!” Sheng Mingluo collapsed on the spot, tears welling up in her eyes. When the hell will I ever get back to the real world? she wondered. Am I going to die here?

No matter how desperately she screamed internally, the System remained stubbornly unresponsive, feigning death.

Qin Zhi hadn’t anticipated such severe consequences from a single sentence. A wave of guilt washed over him.

“I’m sorry, Miss Sheng. It’s my fault.”

“I shouldn’t have voiced my opinion so casually.”

Sheng Mingluo slumped back onto the sofa, dejected. The damage was done; resentment was pointless now. Besides, she had brought up the topic herself—truly digging her own grave.

“It’s not your fault. I was the one who asked.”

The words caught in her throat. Qin Zhi had almost asked if Sheng Mingluo had read the fanfiction, but remembering the System’s punishment, he sighed and swallowed the question.

“Someone might call you later… Remember to answer.”

Sheng Mingluo, of course, remembered this part of the plot. She had even ranted about it back then. Qin Zhi’s character was the second daughter of the wealthy, beautiful, and influential Bai Ling Group. She had heard rumors about this scandal on the Green App—a notorious “toilet gossip” that had never been confirmed.

She never expected the author to directly incorporate it into the story! Eating every bit of rotten gossip would give anyone diarrhea! Meanwhile, she came from an ordinary family; her parents owned a flower shop, and fans even visited it daily to take photos.

That part was accurate, at least.

She wondered what Qin Zhi’s real family was like, but it didn’t matter now. The story was likely following the world’s established plotline.