Chapter 3: Writing Spicy Fanfiction to Survive Unemployment?

A Shocking Proposal

“Co… cohabitation?”

Xiaoxi’s eyes widened.

She nearly blurted out, ‘You’ve listed the benefits, but what’s the catch?’

However, Ye Xinglan’s calm expression made it clear she hadn’t misheard.

“Why?”

“No particular reason. I was on the balcony earlier and liked the view around here. I want to stay for a while.”

“It’s not a bad deal for you, right?” Ye Xinglan shrugged.

“I need someone to handle meals and chores. Your overdue rent can be wiped clean. Sounds good, doesn’t it?”

Ye Xinglan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Living with her blind date to “build rapport” sounded far more reasonable, didn’t it?

Xiaoxi stayed silent, not questioning Ye Xinglan’s reasoning.

As expected of a rich girl—money made her whims possible.

The apartment was big enough for both of them.

It was a two-bedroom place meant for sharing, but Xiaoxi had never found a roommate.

The spare room was perfect for Ye Xinglan.

Her offer was tempting.

Xiaoxi was broke, unemployed, and facing eviction.

Without this, she’d be stuck with her belongings in a cheap $3-a-night hostel.

Yet, Ye Xinglan’s harsh words about magical girls still lingered, making Xiaoxi uneasy.

Though retired, her pride as Eternal Star…

“I’m fine with it. I’ll pay back the overdue rent as soon as I can.”

Xiaoxi lowered her head, deflated.

She wasn’t about to let Ye Xinglan write off her debt.

She hated owing strangers big favors.

As for her magical girl pride?

Pride was useless.

Could she eat it?

Besides, this was just sharing an apartment, not dating after a blind date.

What did Ye Xinglan’s views or dislike of magical girls have to do with her?

Settling the Arrangement

The decision was made.

Xiaoxi accepted her role as the rich girl’s housekeeper.

She quickly cleaned the spare room for Ye Xinglan.

Checking the time, she saw it was still early.

Back in her room, she opened her laptop to send out job applications.

Scrolling through the hiring app, she saw a flood of rejection messages from HR.

Frustrated, she fumed for a moment.

But honestly, she wasn’t surprised.

Fresh graduates were like ripe crops waiting to be harvested.

Her second-tier degree and a year-long gap from being a magical girl made her unappealing.

Worse, her “Mana Syndrome” status scared companies off.

The Curse of Mana Syndrome

Mana Syndrome was a new condition from the past decade.

Fifteen years ago, a sudden meteor brought magical girls, monsters, and this strange illness to Earth.

In simple terms, Mana Syndrome caused rare, unpredictable symptoms in ordinary people exposed to mana.

No cure existed yet.

Xiaoxi wasn’t sure if her gradual transformation from boy to girl was due to her magical girl powers or Mana Syndrome.

After all, she’d never met another boy who became a magical girl.

Her mom and sister had taken her to countless hospital visits, but doctors found no answers.

Her bizarre condition was labeled Mana Syndrome.

Fortunately, aside from turning her into a girl, it had no other side effects.

Or so she thought.

Now, she realized HRs found her condition too troublesome to hire her.

A Desperate Plan

Out of options, Xiaoxi knew she had to lower her standards.

Maybe take a part-time job or something that didn’t scrutinize resumes.

As she scrolled through the hiring app, a sudden idea struck.

She dug through her computer and opened a document—a novel outline.

Back in college, Xiaoxi had dreamed of writing novels.

She’d even signed a contract for one on a platform, but juggling studies, writing, and magical girl duties led to her dropping it.

She still had an unsubmitted outline.

Why not send it to her old editor?

Writing web novels didn’t care about her degree or Mana Syndrome.

Opening her laptop’s QQ, she scanned her contacts and found her old editor’s name.

Luckily, they hadn’t deleted her.

The editor’s avatar was a pink-haired anime character holding a milk tea—a fitting look for “Pineapple Bun Novels,” a platform focused on anime-style stories.

Other platforms’ editors used professional headshots—suits, ties, confident smiles, like corporate elites.

Pineapple Bun’s cartoon avatars stood out.

“Dear Editor, I have a…”

After carefully crafting her message and attaching the outline, Xiaoxi closed the chat, expecting a long wait like her job applications.

An Unexpected Response

Surprisingly, just ten minutes later, her QQ pinged with a message.

“Your story’s not great. It’s a bit clichéd.”

The editor’s blunt words hit like cold water.

Xiaoxi thought her writing dreams were dead.

But then, the editor sent a flurry of messages.

“Your writing’s decent, though. Have you written web novels before?”

“I see your outline’s about magical girls. That genre’s still hot, but you need a fresh angle.”

“Beating bad guys is old news. Readers want anti-clichés now. You following?”

Xiaoxi hadn’t expected such a quick reply or detailed feedback.

She typed back, “I’m still here,” feeling a spark of hope.

“Anti-cliché magical girl stories are in demand—like magical girls losing battles. You get me?”

“Readers love fanfiction about famous magical girls, like Eternal Star or Mu Xingge, the Nightingale Diva. They’re super popular.”

Behind her screen, Xiaoxi’s face twisted.

She understood the editor’s hint.

But asking a retired magical girl to write spicy fanfiction about magical girls’ defeats?

Her conscience…

“Writing fanfiction about famous magical girls—is that really okay?”

“Duh, you don’t copy them exactly,” the editor coaxed.

“What if your magical girl looks a lot like Mu Xingge but isn’t her? Readers will still think of Mu Xingge when they see her.”

“That’s all I’ll say. Figure it out. Also, Pineapple Bun is a legit site, so keep it tame, got it?”