Around this time, Zhao Youyue slipped into the Pure Love QQ fan group. She sat in the quiet of her room, her face illuminated by the steady, pale blue glow of her smartphone screen as she navigated the app's cluttered interface. This time, she didn't tip a League Leader. As long as she posted a photo proving she had bought the official Pure Love volume, that was enough to verify her status as a legitimate reader. Otherwise, she would have been kicked out of the group without a second thought. Pirated readers were better off reading quietly on their own. They didn't qualify for close interaction with the creator anyway.
Because she joined only as an ordinary legitimate reader, she naturally became a background presence in the group. If she had entered as a League Leader, she would have drawn immediate attention from the masses. Comments about clinging to a rich benefactor's leg or becoming a decorative accessory would have flooded the chat, mostly as playful jokes.
Her luck was decent. Right after joining, she noticed that the manga creator, Su Li, was actually chatting in the group. Well, she wasn't exactly chatting. It was more as if she were broadly listening to the readers' opinions, her presence a silent weight at the top of the member list.
Zhao Youyue tapped on Su Li's QQ profile and, as expected, saw that the gender was listed as male and the age as twenty-eight. She opened Su Li's QQ space and casually scrolled through the posts, her finger flicking across the glass. They were all written from a clearly male perspective, and the photo album was mostly filled with cute anime images and generic scenery. Everything pointed to Su Li being a male manga artist, and specifically the kind of sleazy otaku manga artist she disliked.
What she didn't know was that Su Li's schemes ran deep. That QQ account actually belonged to Su Li's older brother and had been abandoned long ago. She had simply taken it over to serve as a shield. When she signed contracts with the magazine publisher, she even used her brother's ID to maintain the illusion. Her real age wasn't twenty-eight at all, but twenty-three. She had only graduated from university a few months earlier.
Why go to such lengths?
Because she believed that presenting herself as a male manga artist made it easier to blend in with male readers. It also encouraged them to offer bolder, more honest feedback. After all, this was a harem manga. Sometimes it needed fanservice and a bit of dirtiness to keep the ratings high. If male readers felt awkward or restrained because they thought the creator was a woman, and held back constructive suggestions, that would be troublesome for the business.
Because of that, even QQ profiles and space content could be deceptive. At the very least, Zhao Youyue had been completely fooled by Su Li. That only strengthened her resolve to stir up something big within the panels. She hated creators who treated female characters as nothing more than consumable goods.
The fans in the group were currently discussing the latest chapter, the messages scrolling past so quickly they were almost a blur.
"Su-dà's art keeps getting better. She completely brought Xu Jing to life."
"After this chapter, it feels like Xu Jing is going to blow up. Pure Love will get way more attention too. As an old fan, I honestly feel proud."
"I think Su-dà went way too hard on Xu Jing. Those last few pages were suffocating. I wanted to jump into the manga world and save her myself."
"Am I really the only one who doesn't want Xu Jing to be conquered by the male lead? I just feel like he doesn't deserve Goddess Xu Jing at all."
"You are not alone."
"I admit the male lead doesn't deserve her either, but I really can't imagine Xu Jing falling into another male character's arms. If that happens, I will probably drop the series."
"Tsk. Since when did this group start seriously discussing the plot? I just want to ask for resources. Are there any Xu Jing doujins online yet?"
"No. Get lost.jpg"
Someone even shared links to heated debate threads from major forums and Tieba, inviting everyone to watch the chaos and state their stance on whether they supported the male lead taking Xu Jing into his harem.
In short, discussion enthusiasm for Pure Love was extremely high, both online and in the QQ groups. That made Su Li, who had been silently observing the flood of notifications, secretly delighted. She finally couldn't resist appearing in the group personally, chatting with the fans for a while and successfully fishing up another wave of tips.
When Zhao Youyue saw Su Li show up, she worked up the nerve to directly ask about the upcoming plot direction. Su Li completely ignored her, a newbie who had just joined the fray. Or rather, once Su Li appeared, many high-level fans showed up as well. Naturally, her attention went to those who tipped more. If Zhao Youyue had been a League Leader, Su Li would definitely have paid attention to her question.
Su Li created manga with results and money as the highest priorities. Whoever tipped more got their suggestions heard and their voices valued. If a League Leader who tipped a million wanted a background character, she would happily add one, and might even promote that extra to a supporting role.
Zhao Youyue wasn't even a League Leader, so Su Li automatically filtered her out.
That made Zhao Youyue even more annoyed. It wasn't that she lacked money. She simply didn't like this genre to begin with, and she hadn't wrecked Pure Love the way she had with Super King of Psychic Powers. She didn't owe Su Li anything. On the contrary, she believed that Pure Love had its current popularity precisely because she had possessed Xu Jing. Yet the creator ignored her completely.
At that moment, Zhao Youyue saw Su Li declare firmly in the group.
"I think arguing over whether Xu Jing will be taken into the male lead's harem doesn't really matter. Just watch calmly. I won't disappoint you. Since I created a character like Xu Jing that everyone loves so much, I will definitely respect her. I will never twist her will."
As Su Li said this, Zhao Youyue vaguely sensed new information flowing from the Dimension Gate, a subtle hum in her mind. From now on, whatever she did in the world of Pure Love would no longer be cut out by the creator.
Clearly, since the creator had gained such huge benefits thanks to Xu Jing, who Zhao Youyue had possessed, she also had to pay a price. Just like when Zhao Youyue broke a story, she had to bear the consequences. Everything was fair.
Zhao Youyue smiled. Her last concern was gone. Next, she would take over the direction of the plot. Su Li would only be a recorder, not a creator.
The fans in the group naturally praised Su Li's words. They also hoped Xu Jing would act according to her own will, if she truly had one.
One League Leader fan, [2701630399], asked Su Li, "Teacher Su Li, what kind of ending will this manga have? It won't be a tragedy, right?"
Seeing this, Su Li smiled and replied, "League Leader, please rest assured. Do I look like the kind of author who toys with readers and feeds them poison and filth? If I were, I would **** myself. I will keep some suspense about the plot development for now, but I can promise everyone this much. The ending will definitely be a very joyful, big reunion ending. After all, as a veteran driver like me, once I take the wheel, the ride is steady."