Chapter 4: A New Chapter

Three years ago, Jiang Huashan had suddenly awakened. A paper character gaining self-awareness — for a story world whose plot had already been written, this was nothing short of a catastrophe.

Because once a character developed a sense of self, they refused to obey the script. And if the script couldn't be restored, the entire story world risked collapse.

To prevent that, the Book Spirit had no choice but to intervene by force.

At first, its methods were blunt — directly wiping Jiang Huashan's memories and consciousness, turning her into a puppet it could operate. But as the number of overrides mounted, Jiang Huashan began developing resistance. She'd wake up mid-scene, leaving the plot stranded halfway, and the window of time the Book Spirit could control her grew shorter and shorter.

Take the last plot arc, for example.

Fu Suier showing up at Jiang Huashan's door to put her in her place was supposed to be a pivotal scene in advancing the male and female leads' relationship.

According to the original script, during their argument, Fu Suier would reveal she had evidence that Jiang Huashan had conspired with the second branch of the family to poison the old master. To protect herself, Jiang Huashan would attempt to silence Fu Suier for good — not only smashing a vase over her head, but shoving her off the second-floor terrace. Fu Suier would be left in a vegetative state.

That incident would enrage Shen Lanxi completely. He'd disregard the old master's dying wishes and file for divorce. Once Jiang Huashan was out of the picture, the male and female leads could finally interact openly — teasing, pulling, drawing closer.

But this crucial turning point had been completely botched — by Jiang Huashan herself.

The Book Spirit had only managed to control her through the vase attack. The moment Fu Suier lost consciousness, Jiang Huashan broke free of its grip and immediately had the driver rush her to the hospital. Because she'd gotten medical help in time, Fu Suier had walked away with nothing more than a few stitches in the back of her head.

Jiang Huashan had the old master's dying wish as her get-out-of-jail-free card. A scuffle of that magnitude wasn't enough to make Shen Lanxi file for divorce. Without the divorce papers, the leads' romance would always be tainted — the female lead's character wouldn't hold up under scrutiny.

Worse still, the altered plot had spawned a cascade of unintended side arcs — like Su Yun getting dragged to the top of trending. That hadn't existed in the original story at all.

That was why the Book Spirit was so desperate to course-correct and drag everything back on track.

Jiang Huashan closed her eyes, ready to catch some sleep and recharge, when that cold electronic voice rang out in her mind again.

[You've always wanted to know the truth about the night Shen Zhuang died, haven't you? If you agree to continue serving the plot, I can make an exception and let you replay what happened that night.]

The Book Spirit could sense every character's inner world. Just now, when Jiang Huashan had been talking to Shen Lanxi, she'd been completely checked out — but the moment he mentioned the old master, her reaction had been entirely different.

Like ripples disturbing the surface of a dead, still lake.

Jiang Huashan took the bait. She slowly opened her eyes. "You said the past can't be replayed."

[I can't. But you can. The book is in your mind. If you reach for it with your consciousness, you'll find the chapter you want to see.]

The past couldn't be revisited; the future couldn't be changed. Those were the rules of the story world. But to patch the leak that was Jiang Huashan, the Book Spirit had no choice but to gamble.

Jiang Huashan looked skeptical. "That simple?"

[Of course it isn't that simple. The book IS the rules of this story world. The moment your consciousness connects with the rules, your tag will be re-deepened. The awareness you've gained will be wiped. You'll revert to the original Jiang Huashan. In other words — the you that exists right now will cease to exist entirely.]

It was extraordinarily rare for a paper character to awaken. In a sense, she'd already acquired something like a real life. Would this vicious supporting character really destroy herself for a truth she could no longer change?

The Book Spirit wasn't certain.

Jiang Huashan thought for a moment, then nodded. "Fine."

[You will have one chance to view the truth. The power of the story will transport you to the day Shen Zhuang died. But you will be a phantom — an observer. You can change nothing. After Shen Zhuang dies, your self-awareness will be erased.]

The Book Spirit had no feelings. It didn't understand Jiang Huashan's choice, but it dutifully issued the warning.

Jiang Huashan smiled, indifferent. "I didn't want to live anyway. Getting to see Grandfather one last time isn't bad."

When Shen Lanxi had thrown her out of Shen Garden, she'd suddenly awakened. So the Book Spirit had always assumed her consciousness was born from unrequited love for Shen Lanxi. It never occurred to the Spirit that the real source was Shen Zhuang — the old master of the Shen family who'd taken her in.

But this farce was finally ending. As long as Jiang Huashan was willing to give up her self-awareness, everything could return to its proper course.

[Then let us begin. Close your eyes. Guide your consciousness toward the book. Spin-off Sequel, Chapter 36: "The Mystery of Shen Garden."]

Jiang Huashan closed her eyes and followed the instructions. As she drew closer, the veins of every tender leaf became visible.

[Ding —]

[Consciousness bridging.]

The faint green glow suddenly flared into blinding light. Heavy pages turned in the streaming radiance...

[Beep — beep — beep —]

[WARNING! Character consciousness resisting — actively destroying the story!!! WARNING!! WARNING!!]

The sudden turn of events stunned even the emotionless Book Spirit. Jiang Huashan had tricked it? All that talk about giving up, about waiting to die — it was an act!

Damn her. Truly a vicious villain — she'd even deceived the rules themselves!

[Jiang Huashan, STOP! Once the pages are torn, the order of the story world will collapse. Everyone will die!]

Riiip —

The only answer was the crisp, bright sound of pages tearing — one rip after another, each louder than the last. Soon, the boundless expanse of her inner consciousness was snowing green-glowing scraps of paper, big and small.

"Little Book Spirit..."

At that moment, a certain someone's harmlessly playful voice echoed through the void. "What I wanted was never to go back to the past. It was to change the past. Since the rules won't allow that, I just had to tear up this stupid book~ Sorry about this — but we're all going down together~"

[Ding —]

[Consciousness erasure failed. Character tag detached. System has generated a new story for you.]

[Ding —]

[Generation complete.]

[Prologue begins — "I Only Wanted to Cause Trouble — How Did I Become His White Moonlight?!"]

Book Spirit: "?!"
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