Chapter 34: Shelf Declaration
“Hello everyone, I’m Yi Wei Xie.”
After a month, the day has finally come for this book to hit the shelves. As per tradition, I need to say a few words, so let’s chat!
Originally, after finishing my last book, I planned to create a story set in a cyberpunk background. However, my editor suggested I change genres due to audience considerations, and I ultimately dropped that idea.
Coincidentally, I wanted to try something lighter and more fun, free of any heavy themes or drama, so I chose to write this love story with a more light novel vibe.
This book’s overall background is inspired by the last one I had to drop due to health reasons, but both the story and character designs have been completely revamped, resulting in something entirely different.
At the core of this story, the true inspiration actually comes from the anime “Kaguya-sama: Love Is War.”
I’m quite fond of the idea of “Love is War,” which aligns perfectly with the main plot of our male lead, Yan Huan, competing, clashing, and falling in love with various female leads who possess modifiers.
While love competition has been depicted in many works aside from “Kaguya-sama,” it’s not uncommon to see elements of cheat abilities on platforms like Qidian, which is why I introduced the concept of “weird cheat abilities.”
If the female leads wield dangerous cheat abilities typical of Japanese anime, it will undoubtedly make the competition for our male lead even more thrilling and exciting, and I really like that aspect.
As for our male lead, who will be the target of these modifiers, he must possess extraordinary attractiveness—handsome looks, a great personality, and a healthy constitution.
It’s easy to understand: if any of the female leads were an ugly girl with a nauseating personality, our male lead wouldn’t even feel the desire to use the modifier, right?
Additionally, I didn’t want to set up scenes where the male and female leads just blast each other with cheat abilities, so I toned down the male lead’s cheat abilities.
While it might be amusing to see a Shura Field among the female leads, if the male and female leads were to do the same, it would only lessen the danger of the competition and reduce the female leads’ offensive opportunities.
However, this doesn’t mean the female leads’ offense is worry-free.
In this “love competition,” Yan Huan possesses a terrifying ability, making it so that individual female leads must rely on modifiers just to barely contend with him.
Overall, female leads with modifiers have the upper hand, while Yan Huan, currently on the defensive, is slightly weaker.
This dynamic will gradually shift with the evolution of the relationship between the male and female leads, the progression of the modifiers, and the occurrence of the Shura Fields.
As for the female leads on the offensive, I need to stress that their personalities are flawed, and the modifiers will undoubtedly amplify those flaws.
I don’t want to describe five flawless, obedient female leads using modifiers to turn the competition into some bizarre whimsy.
The five modifiers don’t represent traditional cheat abilities; they embody five different “sins,” reflecting the bizarre desires contained within each female lead.
I’ve set strict backgrounds and settings for all the modifiers, but I won’t reveal them directly. Instead, I’ll gradually unveil them through the plot.
Attributes, strengths, weaknesses, personality traits, and interrelations will all be revealed.
Beyond these interesting setups, let’s talk a bit about the romance lines.
Unlike the single-line focus in my previous book, this one adopts a multi-threaded approach.
The benefit is that the romantic progress between the male and female leads won’t lag far behind each other but will develop together slowly.
It’s quite thrilling, creating a sense of rising tension, and I’ll sprinkle in some fun “daily life and interstitial scenes” for transitions.
The downside is that the individual storylines for each female lead may seem disjointed.
Sometimes, I’ll write a section focused on a specific female lead, along with major events encompassing multiple elements to establish key points.
That roughly outlines the design of this book and plans moving forward.
Honestly, I see the shelf declaration more as an opportunity to provide some “advance notice” regarding the upcoming paid content rather than just an author rambling about feelings.
The longer I write, the more I realize that I can never satisfy all readers.
No matter the style, character designs, or plot, for every person who enjoys it, there will be someone who dislikes it.
It’s just a fact—I don’t think I’ve reached a level where the majority would recognize my work yet.
So, to avoid making you spend money unnecessarily, I’ve thoroughly showcased all the female leads in the first 33 chapters, embedding stylistic choices and rhythms therein to help you understand this book as much as possible.
I also clarified issues like “daily life,” “male lead’s cheat ability,” “female leads’ flawed personalities,” etc., in hopes you’ll read it carefully before subscribing.
Now, about the update issue.
Most of the chapters are usually completed, but I have a habit of proofreading and revising them after finishing.
There are times when I finish a chapter and feel unsatisfied, leading to a major overhaul, sometimes causing writer’s block during revisions.
This situation happens frequently—like last night and on some previous days—causing some delays for you guys.
This story will be lengthy—I’m not planning on writing short pieces—but regardless, I won’t drop it midway; I’ll finish it.
Tomorrow will be 20,000 words, and after that, there will be around 5,000 to 6,000 words daily. When key plot points arise, the chapters might be longer, like Chapter 14.
Readers of my last book probably know I sometimes write over 10,000-word long chapters, usually in sync with the plot progression.
In summary, after it hits the shelves, I’ll do my best to write!
Also, I sincerely hope those capable will support the original work; it’s really important to me.
I look forward to seeing your comments in this chapter—I enjoy reading them when I have the time, and I’ll be sure to check out all of them.
I’ll be setting up a Full Subscription V Group with some entry barriers, where I’ll share extras and such, similar to my previous work. I’ll establish it once I have a bit more written.
Alright, everyone, that’s all the rambling! Thank you for listening until now.
Starting tomorrow afternoon, I’ll begin uploading chapters, continuing into the evening, so please stay tuned!
(End)
Date: July 31, 2024
