Chapter 2 – It’s Really Hard for Shut-ins to Fall in Love

Good grief.

So it wasn’t that Fu Siyue didn’t want to come back—he literally couldn’t.

God, she even let out a laugh for no reason.

Jiang Wan could accept that she’d transmigrated into a novel as a vicious supporting female character.

But she really couldn’t accept that Fu Siyue was the male lead.

Why? Who decided he deserved that? That idiot who couldn’t even graduate properly?

Sure, Fu Siyue was good-looking, and his family had money…

But those were literally his only redeeming qualities. Nothing else.

Jiang Wan was internally ranting like crazy but still couldn’t help tapping into Qiao Zhiyi’s Weibo.

As expected, with so much leading content, not only the fans—even Jiang Wan herself almost believed it.

Aside from sponsored promotions, almost every one of Qiao Zhiyi’s posts about her life somehow related to Fu Siyue.

The books Fu Siyue supposedly recommended (he didn’t—he never read), the paintings he supposedly admired (impossible—he was colorblind), and the food he supposedly liked (nonsense—Germany didn’t have any good food), would all appear in some corner of Qiao Zhiyi’s photo logs shortly afterward.

Countless “sweet hints” for the CP shippers made everyone think the two of them were already together. But in reality—

It was nothing but a one-woman fantasy she directed and starred in herself.

Calling her a “dream girl” wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Jiang Wan just didn’t get it.

She and Fu Siyue hadn’t seen each other in so long, she genuinely couldn’t remember him ever having such overwhelming charm.

But according to the plot the system described, Qiao Zhiyi’s unrequited love would eventually come true—finally giving her girlish obsession a perfect ending.

Of course, as the vicious supporting character, Jiang Wan had no right to feel sentimental about the male and female leads’ “beautiful love.”

What she needed to do was save herself. She had no intention of getting mixed up in that relationship and becoming a stepping stone cannon fodder.

＊

With the mindset that you should study diligently no matter what your job is, Jiang Wan stayed up all night playing otome games, just to pick up some dating tricks.

In the end—

Her mind was filled with lines like “Your hand is so small…” “…At least I’m still a man…” “…Men are all big bad wolves…” as she finally drifted off to sleep—

And overslept.

When the production team’s knocking pulled her out of her dreams, Jiang Wan felt utterly hopeless.

Forget it.

Whatever.

She’d figured it out.

She was only here to fill in at the last minute. Once she muddled through the filming, it’d be over. She wasn’t really here to fall in love.

So be it.

Before the door opened, the live chat was brimming with malice toward Jiang Wan:

[Why is Jiang Wan taking so long to open the door? Is she hiding something in there?]

[I don’t care if she’s hiding things—just don’t let it be a man, lol.]

[Just wait. I’ll use my sharp eyes to search every suspicious inch of that room.]

[I remember in a video where a passerby ran into Jiang Wan, she was chatting with a friend and mentioned “my husband.” Heh, don’t tell me she’s actually married. That definitely counts as having dated.]

The crew stood waiting by the door, a little nervous themselves, quietly praying in their hearts.

It was okay if she took her time opening up—she could tidy slowly. They weren’t in a rush.

As long as they didn’t accidentally film something unairable, everything would be fine.

After all, the lives of wage workers were lives too.

If the entire show ended up delayed because of Jiang Wan alone, they’d all become her haters on the spot.

In reality—

Jiang Wan had only taken so long because she was changing clothes.

When the door finally opened, what greeted everyone’s eyes was—

A full wall of display cabinets filled with figures.

The staff were stunned. The live chat was stunned too.

[I can’t believe this. I’m exiting and coming back in. Is this really Jiang Wan’s stream?]

[The glamorous goddess turned hardcore otaku…?]

[…What the heck? She’s a second-dimension devotee!]

[So the “husband” she kept mentioning… was this husband.]

[Is this some new PR strategy to rehabilitate her image?]

To be fair—

Jiang Wan wasn’t exactly a textbook otaku.

She just had a few favorite anime series she liked to rewatch over and over. Combined with being reclusive, having a bit of a shopping addiction, and just enough disposable income to splurge on things, well…

Jiang Wan had no idea that her so-called “just a few” purchases were leaving viewers completely shocked.

She looked a bit apologetically at the crew and said softly,

“I overslept. Could you please give me three minutes to wash up? I’ll be right out—is that okay?”

The supposedly difficult, temperamental scandal-ridden star stood there bare-faced, looking gentle and embarrassed, her voice soft and polite.

The staff nodded repeatedly.

“It’s fine, Miss Jiang. May we film your room in the meantime?”

“Of course. Feel free.”

Jiang Wan agreed without hesitation, slipping on her slippers and hurrying off to the bathroom.

The camera panned around the entire apartment, showing every detail in 365 degrees.

Including the trash on the coffee table—

A half-finished milk tea, empty spicy snack wrappers, and a mostly-eaten little cake.

On the sofa were a game console and manga.

Nearby, a small round table was piled high with unopened snacks—a literal mountain.

[Jiang Wan, stop acting out my exact lifestyle.]

[I never expected you to be like this, Jiang Wan…]

[That pajama set on the couch—pretty sure I have the same one…]

Then the bedroom door opened.

And what came into view looked like a “human doghouse.”

It seemed to be built from sofa cushions and quilts, nestled between the wall and the bed, even topped with a little “roof,” looking incredibly cozy.

Inside were stacks of manga and game consoles.

[I made a nest like that with blankets when I was little, and my mom beat me for it. TT]

[Same here +1]

[This is literally an otaku paradise.]

[@Jiang Wan, please get out of my house!!!]

[If I could live in this apartment, I’d give up becoming rich or driving a sports car in a heartbeat.]

[If Jiang Wan really lives like this all the time, I’m starting to believe she truly doesn’t have time to date.]

[It’s really hard for shut-ins to fall in love…?]

[Who says she’s the only shut-in?]

**[Some guys are like this too. Look at the VCR— the live feed from the neighboring stream of Best Actor Xie.]**