The Male Protagonists in Web Novels Always Have Happy Endings

A dessert shop.

The glass display counter of this dessert shop was filled with all kinds of exquisitely crafted and delicious sweets.

Normally, Su Cheng wouldn’t even glance at such things, but today his spirits were high—after all, he had just earned an extra three hundred bucks.

Right now, he was picking out a dessert.

Not for himself, of course. Something this pricey was far too extravagant for his budget.

He was planning to bring it to Li Guanqi tomorrow afternoon.

Thinking of it that way, it didn’t feel expensive at all.

In fact, it even seemed a little cheap.

"This fruit cake looks good."

His eyes lit up as he spotted a sponge fruit cake among the selection.

Fruits were rich in vitamins, and the carbohydrates in the sponge cake could soothe both body and mind, ensuring she’d be in a good mood all day after eating it.

He bought the cake, then went on a quick shopping spree before heading home. There were still two extras waiting for him to settle their wages for today’s acting gig.

He had just bought a few cans of food for Da Huang and some grains and dried meat for Ya Ya.

By now, the three hundred bucks were pretty much all spent.

Today, he hadn’t used any system items. Instead, he had relied on the voice changer senior sister Liu gave him, hiding behind the bushes where Ya Ya and Da Huang were stationed, and easily made the three hundred.

The black mask, meanwhile, was a birthday gift from Li Zhaohao.

Once home, he freshened up briefly, changed into pajamas, and settled on the sofa with the TV on. Beside him sat a dog and a bird.

Then, his phone dinged.

【Psyduck Ya Ya】: "Good job. My mom’s already starting to get annoyed with her. Just a few more times, and it should be enough."

【Psyduck Ya Ya】: "Too bad she’s still staying at my place, though. She’s so annoying—she even rubbed her face against mine. Whatever, we just need to deal with her quickly."

【Psyduck Ya Ya】: "By the way, that mysterious masked guy was you, right? Didn’t expect you to show up personally. She’s been pestering me about it, but I’m not telling her a thing. Hmph~"

Su Cheng replied briefly before quietly turning off his phone and staring blankly at the TV screen.

Because a question was lingering in his mind.

The matter of his memories.

From the looks of it, if it was just a case of missing memories, there were other ways to find answers besides Gu Ruoxue.

For example, an A-rank reward.

Now that he realized this, the next A-rank reward would likely offer an item that could restore his memories.

Currently known A-ranks: Liu Qingyue, Li Guanqi.

Cornelia’s wool had already been thoroughly sheared—there were no more rewards to get from her.

But Liu Qingyue and Li Guanqi both knew about the system’s existence, making it impossible to get rewards from them. Not only would there be no rewards, but there’d be punishments instead.

"Ugh."

Su Cheng sighed. It seemed the only path left was Gu Ruoxue. Eventually, he turned off the TV, retreated to his room, and burrowed into the soft comfort of his bed.

After sending a few goodnight messages to the girls, he lay down, closed his eyes… and found himself lost in thought.

If his memories really were missing…

Who was he, exactly?

An outsider? Or a local?

If he was a local who’d just lost his memories, then where did these memories of another world come from?

What kind of memories had he once had?

What had happened to make him lose them?

There were just too many questions.

Everything was unknown, and he had no way to judge.

He opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling in deep contemplation—something he’d never done before.

Could it be that his arrival had caused the original owner’s memories to vanish?

In most soul-transmigration stories, the beginning usually involved two personalities fighting for control—whoever had the stronger will dominated.

So… if Gu Ruoxue was deliberately keeping him in suspense, was everything she did just to make him seek out a memory-restoring item… to revive the original owner?

The sudden conspiracy theory made him bolt upright in bed.

This was the kind of thing that could keep him up all night!

If that was really the case…

But then again, she had saved his life…

No. When in doubt, call upon the fourth power.

Hmm…

With that thought, he fumbled for his phone and dialed Liu Qingyue directly.

"Hello?"

A low, pleasant voice came from the other end.

"Yeah."

Su Cheng nodded. "Senior sister."

"Rare for you to call. Need my help with something?"

Liu Qingyue chuckled on the other end.

"Yeah."

Su Cheng took a deep breath. "Are you free right now? There’s something I want to ask you."

"Free? Of course I am. Though… I’m in the bath right now. Completely naked… splash splash—"

"Ahem." Su Cheng coughed awkwardly at the sound of water. "Then let’s talk after you’re done."

With that, he hurriedly hung up.

……

Somewhere in the countryside.

Ten minutes later, the bathroom door opened, and Liu Qingyue stepped out in a white bathrobe, drying her damp hair. Her slender, flawless legs peeked out from the robe.

"So, what’s up?"

She sat in front of the vanity, switching to a video call as she blow-dried her hair, her curiosity evident.

"Could you at least pay a little attention to your image?"

Su Cheng couldn’t help but gulp as he watched Liu Qingyue on the screen, wrapped only in a towel. Even though he’d seen her in pajamas before, this was on another level—his body temperature was definitely rising.

"What’s wrong with my image?" Liu Qingyue tilted her head, setting down the hairdryer. As she did, the towel slipped slightly, revealing even more of her flawless skin…

…

Gulp.

Su Cheng swallowed hard, forcing his gaze downward to avoid temptation.

"Senior sister."

He steadied himself and got straight to the point. "I need the list of characters you’ve rated as A-rank."

"Oh?"

Liu Qingyue’s brows furrowed slightly, her expression turning serious.

Because this meant Su Cheng was planning to actively pursue an A-rank character—make them confess to him—and claim the reward.

But playing with people’s emotions like that didn’t suit Su Cheng’s personality at all. The moment he said it, her guard went up.

…………

"Reason?"

She probed carefully.

"I think my memories might be missing." Su Cheng’s tone was earnest. "I need a reward item to recover what I’ve lost."

Liu Qingyue stared into Su Cheng’s eyes.

After a long pause, a faint, knowing smile tugged at her lips.

"So you got some information from Gu Ruoxue."

Su Cheng stayed silent, neither confirming nor denying.

Liu Qingyue didn’t press further. Instead, she said calmly, "I think you should think carefully about this. You’re not the kind of person who’d toy with someone’s feelings just for a reward. I suggest you cool off a bit before deciding."

"But I really need to know the answer now." Su Cheng shook his head. "I know what I’m doing. I know what I want. But right now, I don’t even know who I am. I’m incomplete!"

"Why does that sound so weird?"

Liu Qingyue blinked her beautiful eyes, tilting her head. Was this guy cracking jokes now?

This is such a serious matter.

Suddenly, she saw through Su Cheng’s thoughts, and a look of realization flashed across her face. "Oh—! So you actually came here to get me to confess to you, didn’t you?"

"..."

Su Cheng’s lips twitched. There was indeed some truth to that, so he lowered his head and admitted, "You saw through me so quickly. I thought if Senior Sister Gu could do it, there’s no reason you couldn’t."

"I’m flattered you think so highly of me." Liu Qingyue playfully blinked at him before adding sarcastically, "But how could I possibly do something like that? Your ex might’ve had some special tricks up her sleeve."

"Do you have any advice or thoughts on this, then?"

Su Cheng looked up at her seriously.

"Hmm, I think..."

Liu Qingyue pondered for a moment, resting her fair chin on her hand before finally saying, "I feel like the process of arriving at the answer is more important than the answer itself. It’s not just about knowing the answer, but understanding how it came to be."

"But I already understand the logic." Su Cheng scratched his head in frustration. "The problem is, even if I deduce the answer now, no one can confirm whether it’s correct."

"Seems like you’re really troubled, junior."

Liu Qingyue smiled faintly. "In that case, I might have a way to help you."

"Really?"

Su Cheng’s eyes lit up as he quickly asked, "What is it?"

"Don’t thank me yet." Liu Qingyue waved her hand dismissively. "After all, it’s just a guess. From what I’ve observed, your behavior changed drastically after you woke up from jumping into the river. Going by web novel logic, it’s as if you lost the original owner’s memories. But your body’s subconscious still retains its old habits."

"You mean...?"

Su Cheng’s pupils shrank.

"That’s right."

Liu Qingyue grinned brightly. "Use the cigarette to control yourself and enter a subconscious state."

Su Cheng hesitated for a moment before asking doubtfully, "You’re saying I should... ask myself? Would I even answer? Isn’t it an unconscious state?"

"No, you’re underestimating the subconscious. The subconscious is 30,000 times more powerful than human consciousness. All negative emotions, past traumas, your biases, attitudes, beliefs, values, and inner sense of security—they’re all stored in our subconscious. And you... just happen to be able to access this state!"

Liu Qingyue pointed at her head. "Based on my analysis, your cigarette ability lets you enter a state of no consciousness, manifesting the subconscious. So if you don’t give any commands, and I ask the questions instead, this method should work."

Though Su Cheng didn’t fully grasp everything Liu Qingyue said, he understood the conclusion.

In short, he would use a cigarette to control himself but issue no commands, letting Liu Qingyue in the video ask the questions instead.

"So, why not ask yourself?"

Suddenly, Liu Qingyue crossed her arms under her chin and said those words.

Yet—

The moment she spoke, Su Cheng froze as if struck by lightning. He stared blankly at the screen before murmuring, "Senior Sister Gu... she said the same thing to me."

"Hmm?"

On the screen, Liu Qingyue frowned slightly, her expression turning serious. "If something’s bothering you, don’t keep it to yourself. You should reach out for help!"

Her voice carried concern as she watched him.

"What if... I recover the memories I lost, but in exchange, I lose the ones I have now?" Su Cheng lowered his voice, then took a deep breath before continuing, "In your eyes... would I still be me?"

As he spoke, a heavy, oppressive silence descended like a black curtain, shrouding the room in an eerie gloom.

On the screen, Liu Qingyue’s eyes widened in shock before she fell into deep thought.

After a long pause, she sighed softly. "Memories are what define who we are."

Su Cheng hung his head.

Of course, he knew that.

His arrival had caused his memories to disappear. If he used an item to retrieve the lost memories, would his current ones vanish too?

No one could know for sure.

Slowly and painfully, Su Cheng raised his head to look at Liu Qingyue on the screen. "Senior Sister... if one day I don’t remember any of you, please help me recall our shared past."

"You’re doing fine as you are now. Why insist on finding the answer?" Liu Qingyue sighed quietly. "It’s only been a month since you came back to life, and you’re already diving into another big mess."

"But she saved my life."

Su Cheng summoned a cigarette out of thin air.

"..."

Liu Qingyue’s expression suddenly turned strange.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally spoke in a small, aggrieved voice, "But... I helped save you too. In fact, I was the MVP. Yet you never think of repaying me..."

"What do you want as repayment?"

Liu Qingyue blinked. "I want you... to promise not to use items that could put you in uncertain situations. I don’t like that."

Su Cheng fell silent.

Liu Qingyue continued, "Why rely on items? Why not just ask Gu Ruoxue directly? She’s already given you some hints recently, hasn’t she? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be like this. Just follow her clues step by step—there’s no risk in that."

"But..."

Su Cheng frowned deeply.

"Relax. If you were the protagonist of a web novel, this book wouldn’t suddenly turn into some conspiracy theory. The author wouldn’t shift genres and write something that would drive readers away, right?" Liu Qingyue’s tone was gentle and reassuring. "Besides, judging by the tone, this is clearly a youthful slice-of-life story. And with my character’s initial flaws, it’s probably written by some third-rate author on a free platform."

"Could you not break the fourth wall so seriously?" Su Cheng rubbed his temples and couldn’t help but retort, "Even if I have a system, that doesn’t prove we’re fictional characters. Besides, every reward I get comes with corresponding risks and punishments. In this fast-paced web novel era, what kind of frustrating story would still have such a miserable protagonist?"

Liu Qingyue stifled a laugh before poking Su Cheng’s cheek on the screen with her finger. "Well, whether we’re fictional or not, just know that everyone gets a happy ending. So, I hope you’ll pull yourself together soon. I’ll be back before long, and I’ll have to hurry and send some side characters off to their fates. After all, things seem to be progressing smoothly now, but who knows when everything might fall apart?"