The original host shared his name and gender—Zhou Yi.
He grew up in an orphanage and was now a sophomore in college, infamous as the school's most pitiful pushover.
Every girl he ever liked never returned his feelings.
The first half of his life could only be described as the ultimate example of self-abasement, evoking both pity and disdain.
Since childhood, he had been hopelessly devoted to Xia Qiuzhi, his childhood friend. From elementary school through university, he followed her everywhere.
To avoid being separated from her, he even applied to the same university. But she treated him like a servant, viewing him as nothing more than a source of shame.
At school, she never acknowledged their long-standing connection.
After Xia Qiuzhi got a boyfriend in college, things worsened.
Despite being in a relationship, she still demanded that Zhou Yi deliver late-night snacks to her and her boyfriend, Wang Xuan, fetch items for them, and even complete their assignments.
Wang Xuan, aware of Zhou Yi's existence, regarded him with contempt, seeing him as little more than a pathetic figure of ridicule. On the surface, however, he feigned camaraderie, pretending to defend Zhou Yi in front of Xia Qiuzhi. He would tell her not to treat him too harshly, claiming to see Zhou Yi as a brother or friend.
In reality, it was Wang Xuan who manipulated Xia Qiuzhi into despising Zhou Yi further—all while maintaining his own facade of kindness.
Despite Xia Qiuzhi's unreasonable demands, Zhou Yi obeyed without question. No matter what she asked, he complied without hesitation.
In her presence, he had no dignity left, convinced that Wang Xuan was superior and that he himself was unworthy of her love.
After she started dating Wang Xuan, Zhou Yi resigned himself to the role of a protective older brother, never daring to dream of anything more.
Later, during his freshman year, he fell for his ex-girlfriend, Chu Han, who also happened to be his first love.
This romance, if it could even be called that, was one-sided at best. Though they were supposedly together, Chu Han barely acknowledged him, using him mainly for convenience. She never publicly admitted their relationship and forbade Zhou Yi from telling anyone about it.
While they were "together," Zhou Yi spent every penny he earned on gifts for her—clothes, bags, meals, and entertainment. Whatever she desired, he did his utmost to provide, even if it meant surviving on instant noodles in his dormitory while giving her everything he had.
By all accounts, he was the perfect boyfriend, yet in Chu Han's eyes, Zhou Yi was nothing more than a pathetic doormat.
Even while dating Zhou Yi, she maintained ambiguous relationships with other men, constantly surrounded by admirers. Zhou Yi, deeply in love, noticed but chose to ignore it, silently enduring her behavior.
In the second semester of their freshman year, Chu Han met Gao Wenhao, a wealthy heir, and promptly discarded Zhou Yi, deeming him useless. Initially, Zhou Yi refused to give up, believing that continued devotion might win her back. But when Gao Wenhao discovered this, he had Zhou Yi beaten and threatened to expose his status as an orphan to everyone. He even vowed to demolish the orphanage where Zhou Yi had grown up, turning him into a pariah.
Forced to accept reality, Zhou Yi finally let go of Chu Han.
During this incident, a classmate named Su Ning happened to pass by. Perhaps disgusted by Gao Wenhao's cruelty, she intervened on Zhou Yi's behalf. From that moment on, he developed a quiet admiration for her. But knowing that someone like Su Ning was far beyond his reach, he kept his feelings hidden, quietly helping her whenever possible without expecting anything in return.
Once, when Su Ning collapsed and nearly died, it was Zhou Yi who rushed her to the hospital. Later, when she tried to find the person who saved her life, Zhou Yi lacked the courage to reveal it was him.
Zhou Yi was introverted and had few friends, so he poured his emotions into his diary. Little did he know, his desk mate snooped through his writings and exposed his crush on Su Ning, leading to the humiliation he faced today—the scene that unfolded on the sports field.
Looking back at Zhou Yi's entire life, "tragic" barely scratched the surface.
"This is just too tragic," Zhou Yi muttered, his brow furrowed in a heavy sigh.
077: "So you need to fulfill his wishes, make these three women regret their choices, and overturn the original host's 'simp' life to stage a comeback."
"I can provide assistance for this. As long as you gain affection points from the opposite sex around you, the system will reward you with corresponding money and Attribute Points."
The system then displayed the status panel in front of Zhou Yi:
Character Attributes:
[Name: Zhou Yi]
[Level: lv1 (Rookie)]
[Wealth: $528 (Poor)]
[Appearance: 30 (Average)]
[Combat Power: 30 (Average)]
[IQ: 60 (Average)]
[Reputation: 0 (Unknown)]
[Attribute Points: 0]
Mission Progress Panel:
[Xia Qiuzhi Regret Value: 0]
[Chu Han Regret Value: 0]
[Su Ning Regret Value: 0]
[Comeback Progress: 1]
[Affection Level Earned: 0]
[Admirers: 0]
[Achievements Unlocked: None]
[Items/Skills Acquired: None]
[Current Ranking: Not on the Leaderboard]
[System store locked – Level too low]
"At minimum, 1 Affection Level can be exchanged for $1,000 and 1 Attribute Point."
"'Affection Level Earned' means someone's affection for you has reached 100 points (max), and the count increases by 1. 100 points = full value."
"The system store will unlock automatically once your level increases."
"Do you understand, Host?"
Zhou Yi nodded. He roughly grasped how the system worked.
"But if my appearance changes, won't people find it strange?"
"Once your appearance increases, their memories will adjust accordingly. No one will notice."
"Good."
Being reborn into this body wasn't so bad after all. Gaining affection from the opposite sex would be effortless for him.
With this system, couldn't he easily climb to the pinnacle of life?