How to Survive As a Villain

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Xiao YuAn transmigrated into a novel as the homos*xual young Emperor imprisoning the Male Lead of a Stallion Novel.

This is indeed miserable, and sad.

Because of this, Xiao YuAn began to work hard to survive.

But!

“To those cannon fodders, even if you want to treat the Male Lead bad, can you stop sending him to my bed?” Xiao YuAn thinks that there’s nothing wrong in pampering the Male Lead, but that’s just because he wants to bathe in the Protagonist halo!

Xiao YuAn: “Don’t abuse the Male Lead ever again!!! You guys aren’t afraid of death, but I want to live!!!”

A story that starts out with the Shou taking care of the Gong, and then, the Gong takes care of the Shou.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Chuanyue Cheng Fanpai Yao Ruhe Huoming
HSAV
This Villain Emperor's Gotta Charm the Male Lead to Survive! (manhua)
To Be or Not To Be (manhua)
Xuyên Thành Vai Ác Phải Sống Làm Sao
บทตัวร้ายช่างยากนัก
穿成囚禁男主的反派要如何活命
穿越成反派要如何活命
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System (14)
After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine (10)
Transmigrating into a Mob Character to Rehabilitate the Villain Plan (5)
Pulling Together a Villain Reformation Strategy (4)
The Husky and His White Cat Shizun (4)
The Reader and Protagonist Definitely Have to Be in True Love (3)
Recommendation Lists
  1. BL with healthy relationships
  2. danmei novel i finished reading part 1
  3. Danmei
  4. On-Hold/Incomplete Readings
  5. -BEST HISTORICAL DANMEI-

Latest Release

Date Group Release
11/27/21 Foxaholic c236
11/26/21 Foxaholic c235
11/20/21 Foxaholic c234
11/19/21 Foxaholic c233
11/06/21 Foxaholic c232
11/06/21 Foxaholic c231
10/30/21 Foxaholic c230
10/29/21 Foxaholic c229
10/23/21 Foxaholic c228
10/23/21 Foxaholic c227
10/15/21 Foxaholic c226
10/13/21 Foxaholic c225
10/02/21 Foxaholic c224
10/02/21 Foxaholic c223
09/17/21 Foxaholic c222
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223 Reviews sorted by


sikami
sikami rated it
May 5, 2021
Status: c190
Rating: 4.8

Almost perfect! This novel has got to be one of my favorites and is actually one of the reasons why I started to explore BL novels in the first place. It has a special place in my heart, especially since our MC Yan HeQing is – although somewhat a typical overbearing and OP character – just so different to me. Perhaps I feel this way because I was partially influenced by the manhua (the visuals are incredible and definitely helped me better enjoy the story!). Although our MC is... more>> somewhat dense first, he is straightforward about his feelings once he realizes them! Honestly, I have cried on so many occasions due to this novel. The wait for new chapters also kills me every single time. I just can't seem to get enough! Thank you to our translators for doing this.

Would I recommend it? Yes! It doesn't hurt to give it a try. However, if you're expecting some fast progress in romance, this slow-burn might kill you as it did me so proceed with caution! It is totally worth it though. Would also recommend trying the manhua <3 <<less
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AcezzMech
AcezzMech rated it
December 16, 2020
Status: --
MC is so dense, very s*upid. He has no sense of any authority despite being an emperor. I've never felt so frustrated by reading a novel before but this gets on my nerves. I'm dropping it byee...
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hisui298
hisui298 rated it
October 24, 2020
Status: c111
4.5/5

The angst was so well written I went back and reread it, , , , , , , , , ,

... more>>
Spoiler

this novel is literally misunderstandings galore but for some reason they're written so well I can't not love them, like XYA is so dumb but endearing and YHQ what can I even say, he's literally the sweetest person on earth to XYA and how he treats XYA and respects him (yes there is none of that r*pey non-con shit, at least so far I've read)

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so yes in conclusion if u can take the angst, honestly which I would only rate as a 5 on a scale of 1-10 but my angst tolerance is pretty high so uhhh idk probably much pain I just dont feel anymore. Anyways, the plot is well crafted too, like there's no "I'm here to glorify the main characters but other than that I'm useless" type of plot here.
Spoiler

and if there's plot ya better bet its to make them suffer...... like the pure degree of characters who have kicked the bucket and ships which have sunk cuz of that just......, , , , , , , in one word pain.

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hehe anyways also the characters are all portrayed very realistically and crafted as if they could be actually human, like there's no one who has a low af EQ, that would be literally considered paper cutter, among the main and sub-cast at least, lmaoo not to say the actual cannon fodder but honestly I'll give it to this author for the decently successful characterization,
Spoiler

especially I love how they dealt with revealing that XYA wasn't actually the northern emperor which is a big pet peeve I have with some other novels like this, cuz sometimes the MCs just transmigrate into an absolute sh*t person, who treats the ML like actual dogsh*t before transmigration, and even if their temperament has changed it doesnt erase the fact that they've treated the ML like that before, so sometimes that trope made the ML's love seem unrealistic I guess, which was brilliantly subverted here with XYA revealing he's not actually the northern emperor

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Alright now that I've gotten that rant out fo the way its highkey like midnight and why am I writing this idk but anyways its a pretty good webnovel in the realm of webnevels and if ya wanna kill some time and also get emotionally invested in a few characters for the author to come break ur heart, , , read this and ya wont regret <<less
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qpzmal
qpzmal rated it
September 29, 2020
Status: Completed
Edit (I have finally finished) : To sum it up, this novel is a whole mf angstfest. Get your tissues ready. Also the tag "transmigration" really means transmigration.

Spoiler

They transmigrate 4ish times in the whole novel. Also includes original world.

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First of all, let me just say that when you feel like the novel is coming to an end, IT'S NOT. There were so many instances where I thought, So this is it, they're going to be happy, I'm not going to cry anymore but then another problem bigger than the previous one pops up. Just let my babies be happy goddammit.

c99: Anyways, let's talk about the comedy and comedic undertone tags. I don't see how war, death, angst, and making me cry is funny. But other than that completely incorrect tag, I love this novel. Right now in the middle of the novel, every chapter is abusing my heart and I can't even see the screen since my eyes are welling up with tears. The characters are so lovable and I get attached way too easily so when they Attack on Titaned everyone... it hit my feels too hard.

Edit c137: Soooo fluffy. It gets lighter at this point, and the comedy is really pulling through. Their relationship is progressing and the MC is getting more brainless as the chapters go on.

Edit c162: f*ck it im crying. this is sad sad sad sad sad sad

Edit somewhere in the 180-190s: that is one big mf plot twist. wow. also im crying again

Spoiler

the plot twist: So XYA died in front of YHQ... And woke up in the body of the person who looks like him, the king of the western kingdom, a year later. And the flute broke again for the third time.

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Politics and all that stuff really plays a huge part in this novel so if you just want light hearted stuff, leave.

And the extras are gold and very self indulgent.

Spoiler

One of the few novels where the MC actually goes back to their original world, even though it was temporary

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so basically lighthearted > angst > comedy > tragedy > heartwarming > angst again wtf > happy

Spoiler

and original world > novel > novel (in different body) > original (both of them) > novel (both of them)

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this is probably the most incomprehensible and random review i've ever written.
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Prowln Jazz
Prowln Jazz rated it
September 15, 2020
Status: c94
This one is by far one of my favorites. I couldn't stop at c94 and had to continue with the MTL (which was a bit rough but passible).

I love the dynamics between the main characters and the torture my heart went through reading their hardships made it impossible for me to put the story down. I had to finish it asap.

I love that it is also a nice and quick read too.
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SilentM
SilentM rated it
July 19, 2020
Status: c68
It's been a while since MDZS, I have been this invested in a novel. The character development & storyline is very good till now. The writing style is refreshing & it made me laugh suddenly in unexpected moments.
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Yorokobiaaii
Yorokobiaaii rated it
May 22, 2020
Status: Completed
I love this novel as much as I love the Manhua. ? I can't stop reading it to the point that I read it even tho it's MTL trans (which is very unusual for me cause most of the time I couldn't handle the eng trans) , well, I don't have regrets for doing that but I'm still hoping that I'll be able to read it properly next time, so please guys! Finish it. ? We're waiting for your updates. ? Thanks! ?
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YukiTasha
YukiTasha rated it
December 22, 2019
Status: Completed
I cried so much reading this. So much heartbreaks.
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LH_12
LH_12 rated it
February 27, 2024
Status: Completed
I'm so confused. I read this novel and think that it is wonderful. I really can't understand why it got such mixed and controversial reviews; because of them, I almost missed such a beautiful story. It is well-written and fast-paced, with a good plot and well-rounded characters. The author has a good sense of humour, so at times it was really funny. The first few chapters were so funny that I thought that I was reading a comedy, but there is nothing funny about the story itself. It is eventful,... more>> romantic, and sometimes heartbreaking, and it is definitely worth reading.

There are a few aspects of the novel that I really liked and that distinguish the novel from other stories about book transmigrators:

First, the identities of MC and ML were too unique, which made them star-crossed lovers.
Spoiler

Just imagine that MC is the emperor of the northern kingdom and ML is the crown prince of the southern kingdom. The emperor's country invaded the prince's homeland, killed his family, and showed mercy to no one; soldiers killed everyone indiscriminately, including children, women, and elderly people. Soon, the crown prince became the emperor, took revenge, and conquered the state that invaded his homeland. So MC became the former emperor of a fallen country. Even though MC and ML love and care about each other, the hate between their people runs too deep. Every time they are together, everyone thinks that one of them has ulterior motives and plots something. MC and ML have no control over the overall situation or their predicament.

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This isn't the story where MC will be nice to ML; ML will change the original character's behaviour, and a tragic future will be avoided. Even if MC is acting differently, everyone is suspicious of him, and ML can change nothing.

Secondly, I loved that there was a linguistic barrier between MC and other characters. One thing that always bugs me while reading books about people who transmigrated in ancient times is how well they adapted in terms of language. Language always evolves; I believe Chinese has changed a lot too; some words aren't used anymore, some have changed their meaning, and there are also many new words. Additionally, China has so many dialects, so the fact that sometimes MC and other characters had miscommunication because of this was funny and at the same time realistic. MC had a lot of fun; he purposefully used new terms to confuse people.

The most unique feature of this novel, and also the most discussed one, is MC. A lot of people described him negatively—his IQ, his character—everything was questioned, so I expected that he would be one of those characters who is described as a smart person but actually has a low IQ. I also thought that he would be narcissistic, but I was wrong. MC is an intelligent and humorous individual; he thoroughly enjoys uttering gibberish and rarely takes things seriously. But if you read the whole novel carefully, then you will understand why he acts in this way. It is his coping mechanism. This is how he deals with stress and negative emotions. His past life was too hard, so because of that, he developed into this kind of person. He always goes with the flaw and takes pleasure in small, insignificant things. He doesn't dwell on negative things and quickly finds distractions. But actually, he is a caring, good, and clever person. He isn't s*upid; he knows that what he is saying is nonsensical; he just doesn't care and doesn't even try to act normal in accordance with character. He doesn't take his life and well-being seriously. He hides his pain with his smile and jokes. Even when a knife is held to his neck, he still keeps acting crazily.

If you are interested, I will write about his past life.
Spoiler

His past life was too unbearable. His mother was a mistress, his father cheated on his wife, and he doesn't care about anyone, including MC's mother and MC. MC and his brother are illegitimate children. Their lives were hard, and when MC was 6 years old, his mother committed su*cide right in front of him. Than MC father finally remembered that he has two sons, mainly because his wife couldn't give birth, so he took MC back as an heir but separated him from his brother, who has physical disabilities, and because of that, their father didn't want to bother himself and take care of him. Afterwards, there wasn't anything mentioned, but I believe MC's stepmother would not be delighted and definitely wouldn't have loved him or taken good care of a child of his husband's mistress. MC only mentioned that his father was an animal, and he took revenge. I guess he was neglected and bullied. After he grew up, he found his brother, who at times had mental health issues. He tried to help him, but in vain. His brother hated him and blamed him for abandonment. MC dedicated his whole life to his brother. He hoped that he would get better and maybe one day he would forgive him; he was his only family, but this never happened. MC himself said that in his past life he lived in hatred towards his father and in guilt towards his brother. He never knew what happiness was. He also has insomnia that was caused by his mother's su*cide, and it never gets better. At the end of his past life, he had a terminal illness. Even when he was ill, he still blamed himself and thought that he was a useless person who yet again let his brother down. And as his situation got worse, he, like his mother, committed su*cide. The circumstances and the way he did it were so distressing that it broke my heart. He is a good person; he is caring, but in his past life, he gave away everything he had but didn't receive anything back. And like that, he transmigrated in the novel. He just committed su*cide because there was nothing worth leaving for him, and now he acts really recklessly; he goes with the flaw because he doesn't know what to do, spouts nonsense, and doesn't take anything seriously. He thinks that his life has no value and that the country he rules will still fall. So I don't know what people expected from him. It is already a miracle that he is sane; his behaviour is peculiar but understandable. Just because he is reckless doesn't mean that he is s*upid.

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Also, I liked his behaviour after he transmigrated.
Spoiler

He was the first character who transmigrated as a Vilnius cannon fodder and wanted to kill the protagonist and not hold his thigh to save himself. In addition, he tried to follow the plot of the original novel. He didn't go directly to ML to help him out, but let him go through the script. It was only later in the story that he decided to go against the plot and change it, yet again, not in ML's favour. Everything he did for ML, he did because of his own feelings, not for the script.

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One thing I'm not sure about is this tyrannical CEO nonsense.
Spoiler

MC keeps repeating that he was raised as a tyrannical CEO and that he read a lot of books and learned a lot of things to become one. I never get what he means, but I think it is the identity he came up with in order to deal with his life. He needed some distraction to feel less guilt. He read a lot of web novels to escape reality, so I think it was just for fun. His stories look more like stories a little child would imagine in order to deal with abuse.

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A lot of people also wrote that MC has a hero complex. I don't think it is true. Most of the time, he was forced into the corner and had no other choice. Also, he is a good person and will help if he can. And all this guilt he feels because of his past and current lives. A lot of people are dependent on him, and he feels that he let them down. I personally think that what he did was more than enough. Most situations and troubles were unavoidable, and it is already a miracle that he made it alive. I don't blame either MC or ML for all those situations. The development of the story is logical, and there aren't s*upid, unnecessary scenes that have no purpose and are there to make the story more dramatic and make no sense. It is a turbulent and chaotic time, and both of them are doing their best. No one can control everything. And because of his identity, MC is like a magnet for trouble. It isn't his fault. He is doing his best.

Unfortunately, ML too needs defense. He was labelled as useless for letting MC suffer. I don't think ML should take the blame. He did everything in his power to protect him, but he is just a person. He isn't all-powerful; he needs to deal with court, with war and rebellions, and, on top of that, protect MC. He does his best. Did MC get hurt? Yes, he did. Can we blame ML for that? No, we can't. Most of the time, MC gets hurt because he acted bravely and wanted to protect someone.
Spoiler

Besides, everyone hates MC, so everyone is waiting for their chance to hurt him. Every time MC gets hurt, ML himself is in a dangerous predicament and on the brink of death, so he can't protect him. On one occasion, he got hurt because, despite his identity, he tried to shield ML. So he isn't bad and will protect MC at all costs. But the only way to protect him would be by sending him away, and I doubt that MC himself would agree.

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Neither MC nor ML are overpowered characters; their abilities are normal.

There was a misunderstanding too. I hate misunderstandings, but only unreasonable ones; this one was completely justified.
Spoiler

ML colluded with the Emperor's enemies, and as a result, MC almost got killed. Two points were really important here. Firstly, someone died while protecting MC, and he felt guilty because he played with the lives of others. He finally understood that he couldn't save both ML, the state, and the people he was governing. Secondly, ML truly collided with rebels; he might not have known that MC would be ambushed, but he played his part. MC also felt guilty because he knew this would happen but didn't stop it because he was following the plot and didn't care. It was this moment when MC thought that he should be serious and protect people. He thought that ML hate was so big that he could change anything, and ML might hate him too. Which is logical. If someone took part in your assassination, that could not be out of love, could it? At the same time, ML felt guilty because of his betrayal. MC was kind to him, and he repaid him with this and thought that MC hated him. Which is also logical. He wanted to explain and confirm his feelings, but they didn't communicate well. ML didn't know how to explain himself. Honestly, at this point in the story, even if ML had confessed, it would change nothing. MC wanted to protect people, and ML wanted his revenge. They stand on opposite sides, and nothing can be changed. What could MC do? Run away with him? He is emperor, and he can't abandon people. There are a lot of people whom MC genuinely likes and cares about. Or could ML forget about his responsibility as a future emperor? I don't think so. They do have feelings for each other, but it isn't enough to change the course of history. Hence, a tragic and heartbreaking misunderstanding occurred.

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It was a bit funny how hard MC tried to match ML with his future love interest. There, he did really s*upid things because he wanted to salvage the situation and fill up MC Harem, which, compared to the original novel, looked pitiful. Sometimes it was too excessive, but I kind of get him. If I had transmigrated to my favourite Danmei, I would hide in the bush too to see how MC and ML interacted and try to help them communicate more. How am I supposed to know that MC would change his s*xual orientation? Truth be told, if the protagonist from my favourite novel had fallen in love with me rather than with ML, I would have killed myself. Seriously, if Xie Lian had fallen in love with me instead of Hua Cheng, I would search for the nearest cliff to jump. Apart from that, I think the author did it in order to lighten the story; otherwise, it would be too tragic.

What I liked the most is that the characters are well-rounded. Every single one has their own story, even villains. Because of their life experiences and war, it is hard to say who is right or who is wrong. Everything they went through was terrible. I loved every single one of them. Even if you don't like MC, you will definitely fall in love with the side characters.

The novel is extremely well written. It crowles under your skin and makes you emotional. There are many side characters whose stories will make you cry. Those stories are sad, but beautiful. I don't think MC should feel guilty. Yes, he changed the plot, and a lot of people who were originally supposed to live died, but he gave them a chance to become better and die with honour and without regrets. Living with regrets is sometimes worse than death.

What I think is that the author specifically wrote about MC as a weird, reckless person who would speak about socialistic values, the Constitution, and Marx in ancient times. His smile will be innocent and naive, and despite his problems and feelings, he will try to make others happy. This story needed exactly this type of protagonist because the story itself is too sad, and we needed someone who would lighten the mood and make us smile, and MC does that. He is cute and lovely. Please believe me and go read the book. There are a lot of chapters, so it seems that it is too long, but actually, the chapters are too short, and it isn't that long. It deserves a high rating, and it deserves to be read.

P.S. I'm in love with the translator. All those notes and comments made me feel like I was reading a novel with my friend; it was really nice. The translator put so much effort into translating this story. Thank you for sharing this story with us. <<less
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Fujoshi3
Fujoshi3 rated it
November 5, 2023
Status: Completed
I read the MANHUA. Then I go back and read the last 120 chapters and extras of the novel.

Plot: 5/5 Great plot with good pace, enough angst and comedy! Very rounded.

Characters: 5/5 All the side characters are great. Main characters are memorable and complement each other very well!! They’re all easy to like!

Relationships: 5/5 Aside from main couples, got several more side couples (and GL cp too!). They each have their own flavors but they all are supportive, healthy and very sincere towards each other! No dog blood shit! I... more>> love that! I want to read healthy romances where couples communicate, being sincere with each other, caring and supportive!

Highly recommended!! <<less
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pointoverture
pointoverture
October 20, 2023
Status: Completed
just finished, and IMO this is one fantastic, unique danmei

I see a lot of hate over the MC's character development and the misunderstandings. The annoyance towards the misunderstandings and miscommunication I can understand, because at times it can get a bit too much for me. But at the same time, the problems and mental blocks that the MC goes through make sense.

Honestly, the stand-out thing for me would probably be the characters and parts of the worldbuilding.

to start off with characters:

  • The MC at times is oddly flippant and eccentric. A number of people have complained about how, as an emperor, he acts frustratingly silly and doesn't use his power. But all of these complaints have very clear canon explanations you can interpret from just reading it. Ie. The emperor acts carefree and flippant bc he doesn't see these people as actual humans, but as novel characters and has a difficult time reconciling the two. He's extremely dedicated towards following the book he read bc
    Spoiler

    when he worked extremely hard to prevent deaths that would happen in the book and the fall of his kingdom, disasters and droughts, etc. Suddenly happen when they never did in the book. He has friends/people he cared for die when they never did in the book, and he blames it on himself and his actions. In the end, his kingdom still falls and he's just emotionally tired in every way possible. After this happens, he believes that no matter what he does, unexpected events will suddenly happen to keep in track with the book and that if he tries to change it, the consequences will reflect back on the people he cares for. So he's traumatized by his experiences, and instead dedicates himself to following the book

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  • His character development doesn't suddenly "get thrown down a cliff" like one reader describes. If you think of it realistically, the reason why MC acts the way he does is entirely understandable. It's a lot like the saying "once bitten, twice shy." I can only explain details in spoilers though.
  • AND there's this strange idea for one reader that the MC's "tragic backstory" is shoehorned in. For them, I need to ask if we even read the same book. The MC f*cking
    Spoiler

    committed su*cide in the first chapter and you can obviously see how he has a shitton of problems from just the way his su*cide is written--and that's on top of his younger brother, who very clearly hates him for some reason.

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    When was he ever portrayed as just a "relatable/nerdy webnovel reading character?" Since the first chapter (esp. In the first chapter), there have been a number of hints as to the MC's very dubious mental state.
  • the side characters are glorious. Practically none of them are shown to be completely evil and they aren't suddenly killed in painful and torturous ways for daring to do something against the MC/ML. Ie. Eunuch Zhao, who
    Spoiler

    essentially bullies the ML at the beginning. You first dislike him, and then you realize, hey, ofc this guy is paranoid about the ML. The ML is a prince from a country they just ruined, and ofc he would hate the Emperor/MC. You might not like that he's hurting the ML, but you can acknowledge that Eunuch Zhao's actions are understandable. In fact, he's shown in a rather positive light later on, as his goal (protecting his country) is revealed.

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  • There's also a concubine who
    Spoiler

    traps and tries to ruin ML at the beginning. And you're also like, hey he's a terrible person (when looking from the unreliable narrator MC's POV). And then you're shown his backstory of starting as an Imperial Guard, working hard and doing well in life, before suddenly being forced to become a concubine by the Emperor. As you'd expect, being a concubine was extremely difficult, and he nearly died just by virtue of the Emperor liking him. And then you realize that this poor guy is just doing what he can to climb up to the top and survive. My favorite his the fact that he isn't horribly tortured or punished or anything. The MC disbands the harem, gives him money, and gives him back his position. It's never going to change the fact that the guy was kinda r*ped/forced to become a concubine, but it's probably one of the best possible solutions.

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as for worldbuilding

  • I love the portrayal of war. Reading everything that happens was pretty tragic
    Spoiler

    esp. When you get to all the casualties and Xie chungui's mental break. Damn, was that heartbreaking to read about

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  • this might also go into characters but I love how MC
    Spoiler

    takes the war so seriously. Or more specifically, how he realizes that he has hundreds of thousands of lives in his hands that he must take care of and actually works extremely hard because of that. His change from "these ppl are side characters" to "i need to do everything I can to help these people" was amazing. If there is another novel that has this MC also going through this change, i'd read it immediately. Honestly, it was wonderfully executed

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Soleane
Soleane rated it
May 29, 2023
Status: Completed
It's a solid story. Funny enough I enjoyed the angst way more than the rest of the story, that's a new one for me. I think the author's writing excelled in the angsty parts, I cried during several occasions. This novel is just misery all around to be honest, even the happy ending came at the cost of many lives and the brutality of war.

With that being said, I enjoyed the first half more than the second. I feel like it dropped in quality in the middle, then picked up... more>> for a bit again, then dropped again. To me the high point of this novel was the fall of the Northern Kingdom. That entire segment broke my heart to pieces. From then on it's a mixed bag by MC and ML meeting and then leaving and not communicating, drama, drama and drama, silly antics, and more drama. Some characters lost their purpose and don't appear much again, some characters that could be considered antagonistic that I was looking forward to actually see them being antagonistic end up not doing much, and some characters that appear out of nowhere that I don't care about end up being the "final boss" in an anticlimactic way. Lots of rushing but still weirdly dragged out by more drama that sometimes doesn't serve any purpose, and is just there for the sake of abusing the characters. Like as much as I enjoyed the angsty parts and thought they were well-written, there are also a LOT of occasions of MC or ML getting severely hurt or almost dying where it was just several chapters of angst and abuse and then back to normalcy.

By the end I didn't even blink at whatever new near death experience MC had because I was already used to it and knew nothing substantial would happen. A lot of these instances didn't really add anything meaningful to the story or progress much. They served for MC to abuse himself and eventually have a breakdown, but that one was already bound to happen eventually and didn't need like half a novel of misery and death and tragedy to justify it, to be honest. The final plot with the treacherous general is an example, I feel like he added nothing to the story since MC already escaped the one big point of this story (them being enemies and not being able to be together properly) by then, so I'm not sure what was the point of that whole final part.

Also some parts were a bit unrealistic, I've caught myself a few times thinking "this doesn't make sense", or "no one would actually do that in this scenario" but nothing serious.

MC is quite silly and the way the story is told kind of makes it seem like he doesn't take anything seriously with a few exceptions. He casually talks about transmigration and the novel and characters and no one really cares or questions it. He's not my favorite MC, sometimes his rambling got a little annoying to me, but I got nothing against him either. ML isn't unique either, but the both work well together.

All in all, even though I feel this novel could work well with half the chapters, I still enjoyed reading it. Although I complained a bit, none of them were story-breaking or anything. Felt a bit lackluster compared to my expectations after the first half, but that's it. <<less
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BoriCats
BoriCats rated it
March 26, 2023
Status: c120
Chapter 210 Review

This is the end of the main chapter and the rest are extras which I haven't read yet. The story is good and it has a good ending but trust me, this is the kind of book that will tear your heart apart going through the chapters. From my Chapter 120 review below, I mentioned the many misunderstanding this book has that will tear your hair out. But it ended from that chapters, things got cleared but the amount of pain and suffering this book will give to... more>> the characters in exchange for the misunderstanding tired me out.

I finished reading it and now they're happy but you can say that the means was so such a big loss that it outweigh whatever good endings it has. Why? Because they suffered a lot that it even convinced me that the author of this story is a masochist, who loves torturing the characters. It was so bleak and you can feel the pain and suffering each of the characters experienced. You can't even be angry with the villains because they have reasons why they are doing things that may harm the MC, but that does not mean you can't feel their sufferings. This book clearly depicts the reality and sad truth of war. There is no good ones (character) and bad ones here, they're all driven by reasons beyond their control. What made me downplay the happy ending was the fact that they have been happy before but after that there are always suffering. You can't convince me that they will be happy afterwards because there was a cycle here. At first after they suffered there was happy and innocent moment, then it got downhill, then after the MC lives a secluded but livable life then it was destroyed again, they both suffered but they got past it, they were happy, then they went to the battlefield (the ml's home kingdom) then the MC was forced to do something that gives them so much pain, after a year they reunited and they were tested again.

You can see the amount of struggles they experienced after they experience happiness. In the end, they didn't get peace of mind but more mental and psychological burden instead. What made it worse is that Im not confident that they can save themselves seeing from the amount of record they have that both ML and MC were powerless with the problems the world gives to them. They always sacrifice a piece of themselves every time they get past this challenges, if you can even call it passing the challenges. I have no confidence for the ML to save the MC and vice versa. They either both has to sacrifice themselves to save each other.

What I hated about this arrangements is that they seem not to think of solutions out of the box. I can understand this as they were shackled with responsibilities and such. But for someone who experience trauma and sufferings before, what I wanted after is a peace of mind and a safe place where I can heal myself. That's the normal thing to do for someone who tries to survive from their past. They stay away from the source of pain. But this story with the sadistic author was not doing this. From the start, they can all run away and they will suffer less but they never did that. They were given options afterward and I thought they learnt from it but they still don't, they put themselves in situation where they will be hurt again and again. They lack self-preservation.

What I am vexed most is how the source of their suffering failed to convince me with how it justify their experience. The MC knows that war is bad and it will only create sufferings and death but he got the nerve to always have the motivation in his head the the ML was destined to rule and unite the four kingdoms and even have the audacity to orally motivate the ML with this. He was straight minded with this mindset that he was not able to see that there are other ways to live life than having glory and power. He grieves war and suffered from the guilt brought by the results of war but Im angry that he can't seem to learn from it and urge the ML to dominate the whole kingdoms in the name of 'uniting' it.

The ML was at fault too. He can choose to run away and live with the MC peacefully but he seems to also like having power and glory. He admits it, he want both the love of MC and the four kingdoms. But the goal was to make the MC and the ML live happily and betting for a kingdom that will restrict your freedom and brought hardships and pain to the both of them is very s*upid. I hope the readers learned a lesson from this book, sets your standard low and learn to prioritize your well being. Be not like the characters here in this book, they have screw loose in their head literally. Yes I'm insulting them.

Chapter 120 Review

I have to cut my reading halfway to say that this book has a lot of frustrating misunderstanding! Gosh blood will come out of your throat the amount of misunderstanding this book will give you. But sadly you cant still stop yourself from reading it.

The book is good. It was not apparent in the first chapters and you may think that this will have a light and comedic undertone but trust me the amount of suffering, angst, pain, and torture the main characters experience in this book will shock you. You can never see that until you reach chapter 60. You thought it will be just a palace romance intrigue with pampering but boy, how it roll downhill real fast and how the light vibe turn dark and repressive.

Well technically its a good book but full of heartaches.

This is the kind of book that you only read once and you wont read it again. That will be torture then. <<less
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calebet
calebet rated it
January 7, 2023
Status: c32
I totally agree with some comments. The whole story is shallow and irritating. How come MC acting like spoil kids and idiot. He thought himself as 3rd person perspective. There is no detail except how to match ML with Princess all the time. What happen to Courts, Country politic, Palace and Kingship. I think writer is just 3years old and just randomly create the story as BL fan and don't have writer knowledge. Totally disappointed and drop it. Can't bear it anymore.
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daedaedae
daedaedae rated it
September 29, 2022
Status: --
ah! Well written! The autjor really balances the emotional weight needed for the story to work. And the misunderstanding and feel like a drag. The side characters feel like real people and some villains even you cannot truly hate because the reasons behind their actions are justified.

the MC is so dumb but in an endearing kind of way and his chemistry with the ML is really good.

i laughed a lot and sobbed a lot.

... more>> for both the leads and the side characters.

this was amazing.

even the extra chapters, which I usually dislike, actually adds to the story. <<less
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bluedrop
bluedrop
August 24, 2022
Status: --
Not rating it because it wouldn't be fair since it sounds like a great book. I guess it's just not for me 😅 I was mid-way the 3rd chapter when things started to seem a bit too familiar until I realized I must have read it before (this happens to me a lot lol so I started leaving reviews and ratings on NU so I could keep track of things I've read, liked, disliked, loved, and hated and things I would like to reread).

I hadn't left a rating and I... more>> was enjoying it so far by chapter 10 (which is my usual DNF point) so I thought I must have read it waaay back when.

Welp. I kept getting deja vu and losing enjoyment until I reached a certain point that really gave me the feeling that said "ah I think I had dropped this before" so I came back here to check the reviews to see if the feeling was right. Yep. It's not for me. I like the crack-like way MC deals with things in the beginning and hadn't even gotten to the tragedy part yet as mentioned in the spoilers. But I got major ick and TBH my To Read list is way too long and life is too short to tough it out with a story I know I won't enjoy.

Maybe I'll come back to this someday 🤷🏻‍♀️ <<less
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Fr0nk
Fr0nk rated it
July 19, 2022
Status: Completed
I really loved this novel even if it's really hard to read at times. It's very heavy emotionally, but at the same time I feel like that just adds to why this novel is so great. It's extremely angsty which is something to take note of, but it's so well written! You feel the character's powerlessness and desperation. It is an isekai, which I tend to stay away from because I don't like when the MC only tries to follow the plot and constantly thinks of leaving this world, but... more>> in this one, it takes a while but eventually the MC realises that he doesn't see the people around him as mere novel characters anymore and actually decides to fight against fate. You even forget it was transmigration to begin with when you get to the later chapters.

There is a manhua adaptation for those wondering, and it's okay I guess it doesn't change too many things from the original. <<less
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sungodnika
sungodnika
June 5, 2022
Status: --
miscommunications, tradegy in transmigration definitely leave a wound to you just like this novel. The story flow of the story was like needing a candy and eating then suddenly you'll feel your teeth hurts, pangs your heart. Interesting!

this is on another level, but I love it! It's actually my first danmei, and the one who pull me into this hell hole and I'm not complaining
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c0c0ly
c0c0ly rated it
April 29, 2022
Status: c27
So far reading this into ch 27. I feel exhausted by the MC s*upidity. As a supposedly "President of a company", his level of thinking is like a middle schooler village boy, or a s*upid boy, , with mental age of 15.

Just reading his thought and his act make me the reader feeling extremely exhausted. His character not line up with his background. Its will be better if his background not a President, but a middle schooler, a low class boy, or a nerd boy instead.

So annoying to read this... more>> far. <<less
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En-Jay99
En-Jay99 rated it
April 16, 2022
Status: Completed
5/5 no complaints.

Don't get the random low ratings but there is nothing more annoying than reviews complaining about 'character development' and completely missing the point. Even the author points it out in notes.

... more>>
Spoiler

'oOh why is Xiao YuAn so stuuupid?'

Bro did you miss the part where his his trauma is explained? Do you think that an A-okay person would just commit su*cide? His actions may not make sense to you but they made sense for someone who since childhood thought self-sacrifice in such a way is an acceptable option.

[collapse]

Anyway, I read the manhua first but this was funny and easy to read so I ended up reading the whole story again. Very sweet couple and no dub-con whatsoever.

Read if you want comedy and angst mixed in an easy to read novel. <<less
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