Chapter 48-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Ye Zheng pushed open the bedroom door and stepped into the corridor. Her demeanor was as elegant and gentle as ever. She smiled and nodded at the maid who was cleaning, causing the new young maid to flush in a panic.
The Saintess is really as approachable as the rumors say. Just one look is enough to inspire admiration and trust.
The young maid thought with regret, it's a pity that besides the Saintess, the other masters of this estate are not easy to serve. The master is picky and moody, the young master is perverse and irritable, and the mistress is a bit withdrawn. I don't know how they managed to raise such a normal and outstanding young lady.
The system didn't think Ye Zheng was normal at all. After hearing her statement about wanting to snatch this world from the manga creator, its brain worked furiously for a while, but in the end, it said nothing to stop her.
[The manga creator has now deleted that passive-aggressive comment.]
Ye Zheng raised her eyebrows slightly, "So quickly? His behavior is like a farce."
Either don't post it, or if you do, take full responsibility for your words. She could see that this creator was not only foolish but also completely spineless.
"Did he delete it voluntarily?" Ye Zheng suddenly asked.
The system pondered for a moment and gave a vague answer.
[Yes, and no.]
The system, knowing the inside story, knew the reason for the creator's swift deletion. He probably posted it in a fit of anger, but quickly, mindful of his contract with the company, he deleted it and bowed down to the company.
The creator was right, creation is always like dancing in shackles. But the shackles he wore now were his own choice from the beginning. Otherwise, with his personal ability alone, could King of the Demonic Domain have its current popularity? He should be content; otherwise, the company could drop him at any time.
The company is profit-oriented. Ye Zheng's potential has gradually been noticed, and it's far more than just the potential of a popular character. This little experiment, which was not looked upon favorably, has unexpectedly shown great possibilities.
The system thought, perhaps it could be bold and apply for more permissions for Ye Zheng from the company.
But all this information was top secret; it couldn't reveal any more to Ye Zheng.
Hearing the system's meaningful reply, a flash of understanding crossed Ye Zheng's eyes, and she added another piece to her cognitive puzzle of the higher-dimensional world.
Above the creator, there was an existence that held absolute control over the manga world.
This existence could threaten the creator into deleting comments unfavorable to her, which meant it held no ill will towards her, or rather, for the time being, it was happy to see the changes she was making in the manga world.
Rather than this existence liking or supporting her, Ye Zheng had a more precise idea: she could bring benefits to this existence with absolute control, benefits that surpassed those brought by the manga creator. As for what those benefits were, she didn't have a clear idea yet.
This existence was undoubtedly much more powerful than the manga creator, but Ye Zheng wasn't too worried for the time being. At least for now, her actions did not conflict with its interests, and it was even possible that they aligned with its interests. To protect its own interests, this existence might even take the initiative to protect her.
The girl's lips curled up slightly, and she asked with curiosity, "Since he deleted the comment, what was the readers' reaction?"
[Bad news: you've earned the title of 'Royalty,' getting the villain treatment ahead of schedule. Other villains abuse the protagonist in the manga; you can even abuse the protagonist's own creator outside the manga.]
"That doesn't sound bad. They no longer hate me out of contempt, but because I accidentally stepped on their heads, and they are powerless to do anything about it."
[Good news: 'Ye Zheng's' popularity has soared to 15,000. The readers who hate you are so triggered they've taken over your Weibo feed to curse you out, while the readers who love you are defending you and criticizing the creator on various platforms. They've been so stimulated that their devotion has greatly increased!]
The forum had long been dominated by the stans of a few perennially popular male characters, so negative comments about Ye Zheng were prevalent, which made Ye Zheng stans avoid it. But on other, broader platforms, the activity of Ye Zheng stans was surprisingly higher than that of the stans of several popular male characters.
The system currently didn't have the permission to show Ye Zheng the top-rated comments from other platforms, but it could read them to her.
It tried to read with emotion.
[They all hate you, even the person who created you doesn't love you, but you are the one who strives the most.]
[That foul middle-aged man doesn't deserve to call himself her creator. Anyway, our baby won't lack people who love her.]
[The most gentle and kind baby is being treated as a villain that even the creator is wary of. I can't imagine how disappointed and sad my girl would be if she could see those comments.]
[Old Uncle, if you hate her so much, just delete her. From now on, Ye Zheng is our OC, and has nothing to do with this crappy manga.]
There were also some discordant voices under these top-rated comments, things like "Stop being so cringey, your girl is just a puppet, she can't see your comments," but they were quickly reported and deleted by Ye Zheng's fans like a game of Whac-A-Mole.
If before the new chapter, people who had a good impression of Ye Zheng liked her at a level of 5, after the new chapter's high-profile moments and the creator's personal shade, their affection for Ye Zheng shot up to a 9. Those who already liked Ye Zheng wouldn't turn against her because of the creator's nonsensical comments; instead, the mistreatment would turn them into die-hard fans.
This was also the reason for the rapid increase in popularity. The popularity value wasn't calculated by headcount but also included the degree of affection readers had for Ye Zheng.
The creator probably didn't expect this, right? This whole series of actions not only offended the company but also doubled Ye Zheng's popularity! In the future, she would be able to modify the plot even more freely.
The system's emotional reading almost made Ye Zheng lose her footing on the stairs.
By the time she calmly descended the stairs, a helpless smile appeared on her face. She wasn't quite used to such fervent affection.
As a Saintess, Ye Zheng was extremely popular in the empire, but at least on the surface, everyone's affection for her was always restrained and respectful. No one had ever used extremely intimate words like "baby" or "love you" to express their affection for her.
She hadn't even brought them any benefits like she did when she saved people in this world as a Saintess. Instead, they had to go through hardships because they liked her.
"Perhaps I should find an opportunity to respond to them." Otherwise, it would seem too impolite.
[Register an account with the ID 'Ye Zheng'? Then the Ye Zheng fans will think a highly skilled roleplay teacher has joined their circle.]
Just as Ye Zheng was about to ask what "roleplaying" was, a domineering voice called out to her.
"Ye Zheng? You're actually back?"
The girl's soft, helpless smile vanished. She raised the corners of her lips higher, but her dark pupils held an imperceptible coldness.
"Ye Di? You should be in school today."
The flamboyantly dressed boy looked even more impatient. There was not a trace of affection for his sister in his eyes. As if he had finally found an outlet for his frustration, he snorted, "Whose fault is it that you guys couldn't even handle an A-rank Demonic Domain in the lower district? All the schools in the upper district have been suspended because those wastes went missing. If only everyone had my S-rank level..."
"Ye Di, watch your words. This is not something you should be discussing."
"Why not? Do you think you're so noble now? A Saintess, a close attendant to the Crown Prince... Sister, you've been quite prominent lately."
"Your ability is clearly weak as hell, yet you occupy a position that doesn't belong to you. I am the heir of the Ye family."
Ye Zheng stood quietly, her gaze passing over the resentful Ye Di to a middle-aged man coming down the stairs.
"Alright, Ye Di, stop throwing a child's tantrum."
Ye Fanjing's voice was stern, as if he were defending his daughter and stopping his son's rude behavior, but in reality, he was just lightly brushing the matter aside.
As expected, Ye Fanjing's next words were spoken in a meaningful tone, "Your younger brother is a bit temperamental lately because he can't participate in the competition and has to perform the prayer duties at the Sei Curia in your place. It's normal. As his older sister, don't be angry with him. We are all a family of mutual benefit."
"My own position is likely to change soon, and I don't have time to deal with you children's affairs."
Ye Zheng didn't know if other families would use "mutual benefit" to describe family relations, but she understood the implication in Ye Fanjing's words.
The girl nodded slightly, "Father is right. Our family must be united to climb higher."
Ye Fanjing nodded, his expression still somewhat displeased.
"Recently, because His Highness the Crown Prince has been leading people in the lower district for the competition for a long time, there are some important vacancies in the palace. If little Di can prove himself capable, perhaps he won't have to go to the Sei Curia to pray anymore."
Ye Di's gloomy eyes suddenly lit up, and Ye Fanjing's expression finally relaxed.
Then, Ye Zheng lowered her eyes, looking helpless and self-blaming, and sighed, "Unfortunately, I can't help with Father's official matters. His Highness the Crown Prince has always been impatient with these affairs. However, the Prime Minister's son is an easy-going teammate. I hear he also assists the Prime Minister with political affairs."
Only then did Ye Fanjing smile with satisfaction, looking at his daughter with appreciative eyes.
No one knew a daughter better than her father. Ye Zheng was actually more like him than Ye Di—smart, ambitious, and good at biding her time. It was a pity she was only a daughter; otherwise, she could definitely lead the Ye family to new heights.
The Ye family was a family of judges. It sounded prestigious to hold the power of legal judgment in the upper district, but who did the Ye family dare to offend in the upper district? They were merely a tool for whichever family was more powerful.
It was such a middling family, yet Ye Fanjing had struggled with all his effort and luck to get to his current position. He was originally the second son with mediocre talent in the family. The Ye family had fully supported his older brother. Even though he desperately tried to build connections for the family and had two exceptionally talented children, he couldn't shake his brother's position.
—Until his older brother died, found inexplicably drowned in a pond at a banquet.
At first, everyone suspected him, because he happened to be nearby when it happened. Fortunately, Ye Zheng was by his side at the time. When questioned afterward, this 12-year-old girl, to everyone's surprise, was logically clear and cleared her father's name in just a few words.
It was from that moment that Ye Fanjing finally noticed this daughter he had always ignored.
Later, everyone suspected that his brother, as a judge in the upper district, had made an enemy due to an unjust verdict. After an investigation, no trace of a murderer was found, and his death was ruled as an accidental fall into the water.
Ye Fanjing felt that things weren't that simple, but he had no intention of investigating for his brother. A judge made too many enemies. When his brother was in office, he had presided over many major cases, such as the death of the Minister of Finance, a royal relative accidentally killing someone, and the infamous Blood Flower Incident.
His brother's death had nothing to do with him. Anyway, from then on, he had a meteoric rise, leading the Ye family to prosperity. That was enough.
The current times were turbulent, and another opportunity for him and the Ye family had arrived.
"Father, however, I still feel that there are too many strange things happening recently. Perhaps it would be more appropriate for the Ye family to lie low for a while."
The girl's words interrupted the middle-aged man's reverie. He frowned in displeasure.
"You still have the mindset of a little girl. A man who achieves great things will never let go of any opportunity. The Ye family also reached its current position this way."
Ye Zheng nodded without surprise. She was just asking casually.
Now that she had confirmed that this was Ye Fanjing's and Ye Di's own clear choice, she believed they were prepared to bear the risks that corresponded to the benefits of whatever happened next.
Just like the former head of the Ye family, since he chose that path of ascent, he must have been prepared to face the revenge of those who had suffered injustice.
Actually, after the Ye family sent her to the position of Saintess, they were no longer of much use. The identity of a middle-class noble's daughter was not something the current Ye Zheng was particularly attached to.
"In that case, please rest assured, Father. I will do my best."
Ye Zheng looked at her father and brother, bidding them farewell with a meticulous posture, playing the part of a good daughter and a good sister perfectly.
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