Chapter 91-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Based on big data predictions, the system had forecasted that Ye Zheng's identity reveal would surely cause a strong negative backlash.
The target audiences for the two identities were too different. It would be difficult to transfer Zhao Mei's popularity value to Ye Zheng herself, and it was even highly likely that Ye Zheng's own popularity would drop, because this incident was also subversive to the persona she had previously displayed.
The system felt that it had probably been assimilated by Ye Zheng.
It was a normal thing for Ye Zheng to use a scheme to obtain the sword. She had even left the real Divine Sword behind; it was just that Percy and Sykes didn't have the ability to find it. Could Ye Zheng be blamed for that?
But the readers' stance always leaned towards the protagonist, so characters who were not beneficial to the protagonist were inevitably labeled as villains.
As it had expected, negative comments about Ye Zheng skyrocketed, but the number of new followers attracted to her was surprisingly high. Even readers who were originally not interested in either Ye Zheng or Zhao Mei began to take an interest in Ye Zheng after the plot twist.
The system vaguely understood. Under normal circumstances, male characters were indeed more likely to receive more tolerance and favoritism than female characters. But if this female character's brilliance was simply too dazzling, even those with prejudice would be scorched by her!
Ye Zheng was holding her phone, curiously browsing the heated discussions on the forum.
Many readers who loved Zhao Mei expressed their disappointment in her, which was within her expectations.
Even though she felt that having unsolicited expectations of others was sometimes a rude thing to do, for these readers who felt betrayed, Ye Zheng typed the word "Sorry" on the screen and sent it.
There were also many readers who expressed their liking and support for her. Ye Zheng wanted to leave a word of thanks, but felt it would be unfair to reply to only one person. Perhaps she could create a post to thank everyone?
She hadn't tried creating a post before.
[Are you planning to hold a cyber fan-signing event? For the Ye Zheng antis, that would be a direct slap in the face.]
The system's voice had a strange hint of gloating.
[But you've given the readers enough surprises recently. Any more will turn into scares...]
The system tactfully stopped her. It didn't tell Ye Zheng about the comment the manga creator had posted about "observation," and even blocked related posts on the phone's forum. Ye Zheng was too smart; she couldn't know more for the time being.
The creator's comment had already been deleted. If he continued like this, his company probably wouldn't tolerate him.
It didn't stop her from replying to others' posts under the ID "Ye Zheng," because doing so would be suspicious, and Ye Zheng would definitely notice something.
The system even regretted being soft-hearted at the time and letting Ye Zheng openly use her own name on the forum. If an ordinary person noticed something, it might be formatted by the company.
[Anyway, take it easy. The readers' hearts have been on a rollercoaster because of you lately.]
"Alright."
Ye Zheng said with regret.
She continued browsing. When she saw a plot analysis post about her, especially when the original poster accurately analyzed her state of mind when she said that sentence to Percy, Ye Zheng's mood was complex, and she raised an eyebrow slightly.
This feeling was novel. In this world, very few people truly understood her.
When she saw someone in another world trying to understand her deeply, Ye Zheng felt she should be vigilant. Being seen through was a dangerous thing. But looking at these comments, she felt more of an itchy, ticklish sensation than a threat, which made her a little discomfited.
The system observed Ye Zheng's expression. The girl subconsciously scrunched up her face, like a cat that had been suddenly ambushed and furiously snuggled by a human.
[This isn't a bad thing. Those who like you will only like you more.]
Ye Zheng looked up from her phone screen, blinked, and said, "System, when you first came, you said I had to be a female character useful to the male lead to be liked—"
[Forget it, forget it! I've already been updated and iterated!]
The system hurriedly stopped Ye Zheng from exposing its dark history.
Initially, it had given Ye Zheng advice based on big data from male-oriented works. But as Ye Zheng's actions increasingly transcended this alpha-male-protagonist work, its database was also constantly enriched by her, and it realized its initial narrow-mindedness.
"It's a good thing you've also made progress. Otherwise, it would have been a bit tricky."
[What's tricky? Why do I sense a hint of killing intent in your tone?]
Ye Zheng smiled without saying a word. She came across a post and found that everyone was enthusiastically calling her "Emperor Zheng," "Goddess Zheng," and the like. If someone in this world really called her that, she would probably be immediately dealt with by the Royal Family and the Sei Curia as a rebel and a heretic—but, it didn't sound too bad.
The system wouldn't let her create a post, but she had learned other things she could post.
Ye Zheng's fingers traced on the phone screen. A "^_^" appeared. She looked at the newly learned emoticon with satisfaction and sent it.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Before Ye Zheng could observe everyone's reaction, she put down her phone and walked to the door.
The screen went dark. The forum was still bustling with activity. Many people noticed that the ID "Ye Zheng" had started to appear again.
[#77: ^_^]
[#78: Is the roleplaying sensei starting her shift again?]
[#79: This sensei seems to only appear on weekends after the manga updates. Is she a middle school student?]
[#80: Ye Zheng fans are probably all elementary school students.]
[#81: You really love her, person above. The anti is faster to show up than me, a Ye Zheng stan.]
[#82: Ye Zheng, Ye Zheng, we like you!]
[#83: After her last important speech, "I will not develop romantic feelings with the opposite sex," what important instructions is sensei Ye Zheng going to give this time? (Obediently pulls up a stool) (Listening)]
[#84: This emoticon is giving me the uncanny valley effect. Old Uncle said, "she is also watching you." This isn't how she's watching, is it...]
[#85: That's a bit of a stretch, person above. Our roleplaying sensei just makes a move, and you all have to twist it and throw shade at Ye Zheng? Who's the one treating Old Uncle's words like a treasure?]
...
[#169: Sensei, where did you go? Are you just going to dismiss us with an emoticon?]
[#170: Sensei, you're OOC! RP stands for roleplay. You're just cos-ing, but you're not playing with me. If it were Ye Zheng, she wouldn't treat me like this!]
The Ye Zheng stans took the opportunity to flirt with the roleplaying sensei in this thread, and for a moment, it was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
When Ye Zheng opened the door, Ye Di's reluctant face appeared behind it, ruining her good mood.
"Sister, Father is calling you downstairs. It seems something big has happened."
"By the way, aren't you supposed to be in the lower district participating in the competition? Mother said you need to rest well. The two of them almost got into a fight over it. You're not injured, are you?"
Ye Di glanced at Ye Zheng. Apart from being a bit pale, she seemed fine.
An image of his father's uncontrollably excited expression appeared in his mind. He didn't know what had happened, but as soon as he returned from the imperial palace, he wanted to see Ye Zheng, acting as if he, his son who had just returned from school, was invisible.
Mother was also strange, saying that Zhengzheng needed to rest well. Her attitude was surprisingly firm. In the end, it was Father who, with a cold face, sent him to personally escort the esteemed Young Miss Ye downstairs.
Ye Zheng understood. Ye Fanjing had probably heard the news in the imperial palace and immediately came back to find her, the fresh-out-of-the-oven inheritor of the Divine Sword.
However, her mother's attitude was unexpected. She hadn't argued with Ye Fanjing for a long time.
Perhaps it was because as soon as she returned, she had taken out the Dragon Bone from her abdomen again. Whether it was killing a large number of monsters that threatened ordinary people or secretly using monsters to achieve her desired situation, it had consumed a great deal of energy and strength. The large piece of Dragon Bone in her abdomen couldn't yet merge with her body, and in a weakened state, she was more likely to be controlled by the Dragon Bone's power. So she had taken it out again.
Just as she finished stitching the wound in the washroom, her mother knocked and came in. The two of them ran into each other. Her weak complexion at the time probably scared her, and her mother's words of concern came out stammering.
As soon as Ye Zheng went downstairs, she saw Ye Fanjing sitting on the sofa. After catching sight of his daughter, he stood up excitedly to greet her.
"Ye Zheng, you... you—you are truly a daughter of our Ye family!"
"You're not injured, are you? I heard the trial of the God of Hope is very harsh. Even His Highness the Crown Prince injured his leg..."
Ye Fanjing, trying to maintain his authority as the head of the family, rarely showed his emotions so openly at home. He only had such a warm attitude when fawning over his superiors outside. The thought that she now received such treatment made Ye Zheng want to laugh a little.
"Please rest assured, Father. I am not seriously injured."
"As for His Highness the Crown Prince's leg, I may have accidentally injured it when I took the sword."
Hearing his daughter's calm tone, a trace of embarrassment crossed Ye Fanjing's face. He was about to reprimand her for her thoughtlessness, but then he remembered the honor his daughter had just obtained, and he decided to teach her properly later.
"What sword? What trial of the God of Hope? What are you talking about?"
Ye Di looked confused, sensing that something extraordinary had happened to Ye Zheng.
Ye Fanjing had no time for his younger son now. He looked at his daughter eagerly, as if seeing countless future fame, fortune, and glory.
"As soon as His Majesty heard the news, he immediately summoned me personally. He said that the Divine Sword, which has been missing for five hundred years, has reappeared and found its inheritor. This is the future and hope of the Empire."
Ye Zheng's mind wandered as she recalled Sykes's extremely ugly expression after she got the sword. He seemed to have reverted to his previous irascible and brainless state, almost attacking Yu Tianming who was beside him. The Royal Family was probably not happy to see her possessing such a prestigious status.
Even if the Emperor himself had issues with Sykes, Sykes at least represented the Royal Family. The heir of the Empire, the hope of salvation, who they had been promoting for so long, was suddenly snatched away by a little girl they didn't even consider a threat. How could the Emperor be happy?
"I haven't seen His Majesty for a long time, yet he accurately called out my name and position. He described me as majestic yet kind, and even talked about you with me, asking how I raised such an outstanding daughter..."
Ye Fanjing was still excitedly describing the scene of the Emperor summoning him. Even Ye Di, who was listening on the side, was filled with longing. Ye Zheng, however, lowered her eyes in boredom, counting the embroidery on the carpet.
Compared to Ye Fanjing's endless talk, the lovely readers were much more interesting. She should have found an excuse to stay in her room for a while.
"By the way, he personally promised to give you an official reward—"
Finally, Ye Zheng caught the keyword in Ye Fanjing's nonsense and raised her eyes.
"His Majesty said that since your coming-of-age birthday is in three months, he will officially announce the miracle and hope you have brought to the entire Empire at your coming-of-age ceremony. The Empire will bestow upon you a glorious title and a valuable fief!"
"My coming-of-age ceremony does not require such a grand treatment."
Ye Zheng frowned slightly.
What did he mean by an official announcement in three months? To translate, it meant that within these three months, the Imperial Royal Family would not give her any affirmation.
At a time of turmoil, celebrating the appearance of the Divine Sword immediately would be the ideal choice. Three months was not too long, but many things could happen—unless the Emperor was deliberately trying to stall for time, to reduce her influence as the Godsent, or even had other plans.
"This is the highest honor. No other girl, or even boy, in the Empire will have a more magnificent coming-of-age ceremony than yours!"
"...Since that is the case, I will not fail to live up to the grace bestowed by His Majesty."
Ye Zheng lightly rolled the word "grace" between her teeth. She had earned this status for herself; even the nominal ruler of this country had no right to take it away.
She had been biased. She had only been paying attention to the Sei Curia and that fellow Wen Jian. This was truly disrespectful to the Royal Family who cared so much about her.
Ye Zheng looked at her father's intoxicated expression as he fantasized, as if in three months it would be his coronation, not her coming-of-age ceremony.
"I'm really looking forward to it!"
Ye Fanjing exclaimed with longing.
"I'm looking forward to it too."
Ye Zheng was being sincere. Even putting aside the complex factors, what teenager doesn't look forward to their own coming-of-age ceremony?
Even she was no exception.
Author's Note: Zhengzheng is still a dear little sister.
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