Chapter 11: Boredom

As the investor of this variety show, Su Shiyi didn’t have to strictly follow the project proposal format. She only needed to write down what she wanted to express, with other details naturally added by the professional team.

She positioned the show as an educational and popular science program, so it couldn’t just be about torturing the stars for the sake of it, or for the purpose of making them study. The locations Su Shiyi chose for the recording were all famous high schools in the country, with outstanding faculty and brilliant students.

This way, while showcasing the celebrities’ learning process, the show would also allow more people to see how prestigious schools educate and teach, and the gap between ordinary students and elite students.

She wasn’t trying to sell anxiety, but many people didn’t have this kind of awareness during their student years. In a relatively closed campus environment, it’s easy to have a narrow view of the world, something Su Shiyi had experienced herself. Now that she had money, if this variety show could bring joy to those who watched it and provide a little bit of help, that would be enough.

Su Shiyi also added many of her ideas to it, ideas she had thought about before but felt would never pass if included.

Actually, she should have written them at the time, since leaving them out wouldn’t have helped anyway.

The bell for class ended, and Su Shiyi finished this sloppy and absurd first draft. After sending it to Kevin, it felt like she had accomplished something extraordinary.

Kevin wouldn’t get angry, he was just hoping the industry professionals who would see her proposal wouldn’t be too upset.

She happily stretched and, only when checking the clock, realized it was already the big break after the second period. At this thought, she felt a little guilty. “Su Shiyi” usually worked hard to earn a scholarship, but here she was, slacking off for two consecutive periods and not even realizing the break had started.

Well, it didn’t matter. She didn’t need a perfect GPA for her resume, passing the final exams was enough. The most important thing in life was to be happy!

Su Shiyi was in her third year of college, and her schedule wasn’t very full. The last two periods were empty. Her classmates gradually left the classroom. Lin Jiayan was going to the library, Wu Feifei was doing an internship on campus, and only Xu Wenwen accompanied her back to the dorm.

The morning seemed to pass just like that, and she lay on the bed waiting for lunch to be delivered. Su Shiyi, who used to work hard as an office worker before entering this book, found this kind of leisurely life quite unfamiliar.

She lifted the bed curtain and asked Xu Wenwen, “What do you usually do when you have nothing to do? I see you always sit in front of the computer when you return to the dorm. What are you busy with?”

Xu Wenwen: “I usually watch dramas or edit some videos for my older siblings, and when I lie in bed, I read novels. Shiyi, are you feeling bored?”

Su Shiyi sincerely nodded, “Yeah, being a junior is so leisurely. There’s not much to do.”

Other juniors who are busy applying for internships, sending resumes, and taking exams: …

“According to the usual pattern in web novels, this is when you should go to high-end shopping malls, swipe your card madly in luxury stores, and have the shop assistants eagerly greet you. Someone next to you should look down on you because of your simple clothes, and then you buy up everything in the store, slapping them in the face…”

Su Shiyi imagined that scene, shaking her head, “They just aren’t rich enough yet. Do I still need to go to shopping malls? The brands should be sending clothes, shoes, and bags to my house. And my wardrobe is limited, I’ve heard the competition is fierce.”

Xu Wenwen: …

You make a good point, but if you don’t go shopping, how will you meet the domineering supporting characters? How will the story continue?

See, the author is starting to pad the word count now, they don’t even know what to write.

In order to keep the plot moving and find more opportunities to spend money, Xu Wenwen suggested, “Do you like reading novels? There are many excellent works on Lujiang Literature City. It’s a good way to pass the time. I often end up reading all day without realizing it.”

This could work. After all, the little world she was in now was inside a book. Reading more romance novels might help her understand the original author’s writing direction.

Maybe… But do old-fashioned Mary Sue novels still have a following on Lujiang Literature City?

She registered an account. Since Lujiang Literature City operates on a paid reading model, Su Shiyi found the recharge entrance, clicked on the option for large top-ups, and decided to charge 5000 yuan for now.

Su Shiyi clicked into the book city and hesitated for a moment before choosing the ancient time-travel genre that interested her more.

She sifted through the recommendations, clicking into several, bookmarking a few, then scrolling down to the lucky picks section, where a novel titled Empress caught her attention.

She was curious about the content of a book with such a short, bold title.

The book had a dismal collection count—only 34, with 2 comments, no rankings for the “Premium Support Ticket, and 15 “nutrient liquids,” which was the worst data she had come across while scrolling. She then clicked into the author’s profile, which was just an empty hole, with only one work—a “1” for a collection, likely clicked by the author themselves…

The synopsis for Empress was brief, just a single sentence, “Second-generation time traveler Li Xishan, after the Empress Dowager personally destroyed the paths of her three brothers to the throne, struggles to ascend to the imperial position.”

That was it. Just one sentence. Unlike other novels that often have lengthy synopses, the author of this one seemed to embrace a unique approach, although the book’s numbers clearly indicated otherwise.

The protagonist’s surname was Li, and the story seemed to allude to the real historical empress. However, in this version, the protagonist’s mother, who was the time traveler, did not ascend to the throne. Instead, she “invented” various societal advancements, helping her husband rise to power. When the protagonist’s father achieved success, the mother voluntarily withdrew from the palace to focus on supporting her husband and raising children.

This was from the protagonist’s perspective, until a series of palace intrigues unfolded, and the naive, kind-hearted protagonist realized that her seemingly loving father and mother were engaged in a power struggle.

The protagonist’s father had been a lowly son of a noble house, while her mother was a brilliant noblewoman. The former emperor had been tyrannical, and it was the protagonist’s mother who fought to establish peace. However, as a woman, she could not openly assert power, so she married the protagonist’s father. She originally thought she was marrying a good-for-nothing, but it turned out to be a case of inviting wolves into the house.

The protagonist’s father had always resented the mother’s family, undermining her reforms and refusing to appoint her recommended officials. The mother, unwilling to see her hard-won peace destroyed by the emperor, had already lost all three sons to the emperor’s manipulation. These sons, being feudal men, naturally supported their father.

In despair, the mother revealed the harsh reality to the protagonist, forcing her to confront the situation. She told her: “You must ascend to the throne. You must be more ruthless than the men, treating love and affection as nonsense. You must not be swayed by their sweet words. If you’re truly my daughter, you must do this, or I won’t rest even in death.”

Su Shiyi stopped there. She was eager to see if the protagonist would agree, whether she would turn dark, and how she would compete with her brothers for the throne as a woman. Why did it stop here?

She wanted to see more chapters from the author—maybe she’d find more.

Returning to the book’s details, Su Shiyi saw that it had already written over 100,000 words, but the chapters she had read were all free.

It was such a shame for the author—though the writing was a bit immature, the plot had so much tension, and it was quite engaging!

Looking at the table of contents, this book was updated daily, though the timing was irregular. Su Shiyi left a comment and a collection, saying, “Author, please update soon! I really want to see what happens next.”

She had just registered her account, so she didn’t have any nutrient liquids to donate, but she sent the author a deep-sea torpedo as a gesture.

Perhaps influenced by the mother in Empress who said “Love and affection are nonsense,” when she went to read other time-travel romance stories, she found them unsatisfying. Especially those where the heroine helps the man ascend the throne, she couldn’t help but think of the mother’s fate in Empress…

That story just felt out of place, and no wonder its stats were so low.

After lunch, Su Shiyi returned to her bed and opened Lujiang Literature City again. She saw that Empress had updated, and there were two exciting new chapters! The author said they were thrilled by the deep-sea torpedo and added an extra chapter as a thank you!

Now that there was more to read, she eagerly devoured the two new chapters. The naive, pure heroine couldn’t accept the cruel truth. She went out to the palace gardens to relax but saw a teacher expelling female students from the academy, forbidding them from attending classes.

The heroine, who had grown up under the guidance of a time-traveling female, was shocked. The law clearly stated that both genders were allowed to attend the academy! The female students cried to her, revealing that many laws had been altered, and women’s status had been further suppressed—worse than during the previous dynasty.

The heroine was at a loss for words. In the carriage, she wept and realized her father’s indifference. Su Shiyi felt heartbroken and grew more excited to see the heroine come to terms with reality and start her journey toward imperial power.

But just as the story reached this point, it stopped again! What was going on?

Although the book’s logic wasn’t perfect and the current plot felt a bit forced, Su Shiyi was so eager for the next chapter! The heroine’s rise from an innocent girl to a dominant force, reclaiming everything her mother deserved, and leading the country to prosperity sounded exhilarating!

Su Shiyi thought to herself: she sent a deep-sea torpedo, and the author added an extra chapter. If this continued…

On the Lujiang Literature City’s daily rankings saw Empress suddenly rise to first place.

A broadcast flashed on the PC, “One Strawberry has sent 1,000 deep-sea torpedoes to Empress.”

In the comment section of Empress: “I’ve sent 1,000. Will this book be finished tomorrow?”