Zanxing (Retranslated)

Extra 11 - Modern Times

On a summer day, the afternoon sun was glaring, and the air was thick with stifling heat, enveloping everything in a sweltering, airtight embrace.

Yang Zanxing was stocking up on groceries at the supermarket downstairs. Before leaving, she noticed Wahaha Milk was on sale, so she grabbed a pack of calcium milk drinks and added them to her cart.

Today was Children’s Day.

At the checkout, the cashier auntie placed a lollipop in her pocket and said, “Happy holiday!”

Zanxing cheerfully thanked her, then carried two large bags of rice and grains home.

By the time she got home, it was almost 4 p.m.—too late for lunch, too early for dinner. Zanxing took some noodles from the fridge and started cooking them, then went to the bathroom to wash her face.

It was a rare weekend off. She had stayed up until 6 a.m. finishing the popular generic cultivation novel At the Summit of Nine Heavens.

To sum it up, it really wasn’t worth it. At first, the male protagonist kicked sects and fought demon clans, but in the end, a meteor struck the cultivation continent, and the whole world inexplicably collapsed. Except for the male protagonist and his wives who ascended, all the side characters died.

It felt like the whole story was just a joke.

In fact, midway through the novel, she already felt something was off. The author kept opening new maps and adding side quests, the world-building kept expanding, the plot became more and more filler, and the character designs started falling apart. Many readers quit in anger, but Zanxing stuck it out, determined to see just how bad this book could get.

And it really did get so bad that even someone as easygoing as Zanxing had to curse.

The water in the pot was bubbling and steaming. Zanxing added an egg and some greens to the noodles. While cooking, she received two phone calls.

They were from her parents, wishing her a happy birthday.

After her parents divorced and started their own families, Zanxing had lived with her grandparents. Her friends often said that her slow-paced, never-in-a-rush, old-people personality was something her grandparents had instilled in her. Zanxing didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. Her relationship with her parents was distant, but her grandparents had treated her well. Throughout the years, she had never lacked for love.

After her grandparents passed away, she lived alone.

Living alone was lonely but also free—like weekends like this one.

After hanging up the phone, the noodles were nearly done. Zanxing scooped them out, took her bowl to the desk, and opened the comment section of At the Summit of Nine Heavens.

She had stayed up too late last night reading, and after finishing, she went straight to bed. Now that she had time, she wanted to see if there were any other readers as frustrated as she was in the comments.

At the Summit of Nine Heavens had been completed for many years, and the author hadn’t released any new works since. However, the comment section remained lively. After all, the more satisfying the earlier parts of the book were, the more disastrous the ending had been.

[Kalinjiao]: Is the author just not interested in writing anymore? What is this ending???

[Peach is Not a Peach]: The male protagonist was written to be so awesome in the beginning, and then… this??

[Big Mao Tao]: Tipped 10,000,000 points. This book is amazing! Encouraging the author, hoping the future is even better!

[Wandering Innocent Heart]: The person above is so rich, come here, rich lady, let’s stick together.

[Bliss]: I’m only halfway through, but if male genre authors can’t write romance, they don’t have to. The romance here is really awful 🙂🙂🙂

[Qian Shan Cha Ke]: When will the author come back to finish the story?

[Yoursk1106]: Lol, in the author’s side notes, they said their family’s house was being demolished and they ran off without wanting to write anymore.

[Fanjia1202]: ????? Wow, turns out I’m the broke one here.

The discussion started to veer off-topic, and Zanxing thought for a moment before leaving her own comment.

[Love From the Stars]: The beginning was written really well, every chapter hit the mark, and there was even some silly humor. But the author dug too many holes and couldn’t fill them. In the end, they just gave up. Mu Cengxiao ascended with eight wives, and all the supporting characters just died? Do side characters have no rights? P.S.: I share the same name as that cannon fodder female character who had only 2,000 words of screen time before disappearing.

Her comment hadn’t even been up for a minute before someone responded.

[I Love the Moon]: Sis, I suggest you read and memorize the entire text—you’re going to get pulled into the story! Beware of transmigration!

Some people even argued with her.

[Xie Jingxing’s Wife]: To each their own; everyone has different tastes. The author did a pretty good job, holding the main storyline together for three years without it collapsing. If you’re so good, why don’t you take the pen and write it yourself?

Zanxing thought for a moment and replied: The protagonist already has so many cheats, why couldn’t they save the world too? If I were writing it, I’d have the protagonist cultivate the Peerless Heart Technique and change the ending so everyone could have a happy reunion.

[Duke Oh Yeah]: That would be so cliche. BE (bad ending) aesthetics are forever!

[Love From the Stars] replied to [Duke Oh Yeah]: I want it to be cliché! I’m a basic person, and I love watching cliche endings.

After writing that, Zanxing closed her computer and finished her noodles.

Just as she finished washing the dishes, thunder started rumbling outside. In the summer evening, rain began to fall steadily from the dark clouds, drenching the entire city.

Pedestrians hurried down the street, rushing to avoid the rain. From the balcony, there was the sound of claws scratching against the wall.

A white cat was crouching next to the flower rack, tilting its head and staring at her.

“Mimi?” Zanxing opened the window to the balcony, and the white cat jumped inside with practiced ease.

This white cat would show up every few days to beg for food. Zanxing wasn’t sure if it had an owner, but its fur was clean, and it carried itself with a certain elegance. It would leave right after eating some fish snacks and bread without lingering too long.

Zanxing tore open a pack of fish snacks for the cat, which ate them leisurely. She closed the screen window afterward because there were too many mosquitoes when it rained.

Returning inside, she walked to the side cabinet under the TV. The water in the fish tank had just been changed that afternoon, and the jet-black bulging-eyed goldfish swam back and forth in the water.

This was a gift she had received when she bought eggs at the supermarket. Zanxing had chosen the goldfish over a chick, after all, goldfish were much easier to take care of. She still remembered the enthusiastic uncle in work clothes handing her a plastic cup with the little goldfish inside: “This is a lucky carp! Make a wish to it, and all your dreams will come true!”

She didn’t even consider that these two weren’t even the same species.

Zanxing picked a few fish pellets from the box beside her and tossed them into the tank. The little goldfish puffed up its mouth and swam eagerly toward the food. Tapping the side of the tank lightly, she whispered, “Make a wish?”

After a moment’s thought, she said aloud, “Alright, I wish I could transmigrate into that frustrating, rushed novel tomorrow, kick out the useless male protagonist, steal his spotlight, seduce the ultimate handsome men, and reach the pinnacle of life.”

“If it were up to me to write it,” she sighed, “I’d definitely give it a good ending.”

Her phone buzzed with a notification. She opened it to see a message from her team leader in the group chat: Attention, everyone, the file we sent out yesterday had the wrong format, so it needs to be redone. The correct format has been posted in the group. Please finish by tonight and hand it in by Monday morning. Thank you all for your hard work! 🌹🌹🌹 File.pdf.

The messages below were filled with responses like “OK” and “Got it.”

Zanxing sighed again, changing her initial thought of using the “I’d rather skip work than deal with this.jpg” to simply typing “ok.” Magical, romantic adventures could only exist in novels, while in reality, she had to go back to the office for overtime.

She closed the balcony door, changed into a new outfit, grabbed her umbrella by the door, and headed downstairs.

The streetlights on both sides of the road gradually flickered to life, while the neon signs of the city reflected dimly in the puddles below, creating a hazy glow.

Stepping into the warm summer night and the curtain of rain, she walked into the drizzling scene of a rainy evening.

*

Author’s note:

The main storyline of Zanxing and her relationship with the main couple has come to an end, though there are still a few bonus chapters featuring parent-love stories to come. Some Easter eggs are inspired by the IDs of readers. I want to thank everyone for accompanying me on this journey!

In these past few years, given all the pandemic situations, I just wanted to write a story with mountains, oceans, deserts, and snowy plains—if only to escape into a novel to relax. Compared to previous female protagonists, Zanxing’s character is much “calmer.” I think of her like water: emotionally stable, gentle, resilient, and slowly working through problems without unnecessary internal conflict. I wanted to write this story from her perspective. In fact, throughout the early chapters, Zanxing mostly acted as a “reader” moving through the plot, but after reaching the Abyss of Extreme Ice, she began to embody the mindset of a “creator” as she finished telling the story.

As for Gu Baiying, he was my first attempt at writing a male lead with a somewhat innocent personality—someone who is both gentle and sincere, with obvious strengths and weaknesses. He’s a bit more grounded and even occasionally brings a comedic touch, like a big dog with a red ribbon tied around its neck?

This story leans more toward a classic, light-hearted style. There are many characters I’ve grown to love throughout the writing process, and I’ve felt the most relaxed while writing this novel compared to my other works.

“In a play, countless names fill the stage, but ultimately, all are meant to support the lead. Yet, don’t side characters deserve the best endings too?”

All in all, another story has reached its conclusion, and this one is the type of happy ending I, a simple person, enjoy the most. This was my first time writing in this genre, and though it has its flaws, I had a lot of fun. Thank you all for keeping me company this summer.

May the youth remain pure and brave, never forgetting their original aspirations. May Douzhou always be filled with love, and may the evening stars shine bright.

Wishing everyone good health and a happy New Year in advance!

See you in the next story!