The male supporting character was actually myself.

The sudden notification from the main system made the fluffy little ball of fur stand up straight. "Oh no, host! The body you're occupying is going to die!"

Just as he played a card, Jiang Chen calmly took out his phone and quickly erased the trace. Then he left a message in the novel to inform his other self. After doing all this, the countdown reached zero. He turned to look at Ye Xingluo and gave her a slight smile before collapsing onto the mahjong table without warning.

"Jiang Chen!" Ye Xingluo suddenly had a bad feeling and hurriedly helped her best friend up to perform CPR.

However, no miracle occurred until the ambulance arrived, and Dr. Han, only 26 years old, was pronounced dead.

"Gone?" At the same time, Ji Jiangchen, sitting in the cruise ship cabin, took out his phone and saw a hasty message from his other self. He realized that the system space bug had disappeared and couldn't help but sigh, "We agreed to look for it together, and we haven't even started yet..."

Li Qingcheng leaned closer, completely bewildered. "What are you looking for?"

"It's nothing, aren't you going to look at the fish?" he said dismissively. Just then, the tour guide was calling out to feed the fish on the deck, and Li Qingcheng hurriedly ran up to the deck.

Ji Jiangchen leaned back in his seat, feeling a little bored, thinking about his little white cat who stayed at home playing games. The rocking of the ship made him doze off.

A moment later, a handsome young monk walked in. Without looking to the side, he went straight to sit down next to the sleeping Ji Jiangchen, put his hands together, and said in a low voice, "You and I are not destined to be together. Your persistent pursuit is in vain."

Life is too short; why not lay down your burdens and blend into the masses? Sometimes, ignorance is a rare kind of happiness.

After saying this, the little monk patted him on the shoulder, stood up, and gracefully left.

Ji Jiangchen was only awakened when the tour boat docked. Li Qingcheng packed her luggage, took his arm, and got off the boat, asking, "What were you muttering about on the boat? What were you looking for? Inspiration?"

Ji Jiangchen paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "What's the point of looking for inspiration? Don't look for anything! The most important thing when traveling is to eat well, stay in good accommodations, and have fun!"

Pulling his suitcase towards the hotel he had booked, he suddenly felt a pang of unease, took out his phone to glance at it, and couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Gone? Seriously, came and went in such a hurry, didn't even leave a word, finished the mission, got the badge, and ran off, how boring..."

[Trigger a new quest]

At her friend's funeral, the grief-stricken Ye Xingluo suddenly heard the notification sound from the system that had been dormant for so long.

[Please select whether to accept the activation of the hard mode. After completing the mission, you can use points to redeem a hidden reward—the resurrection of the soul of your capable assistant, Han Jiangchen.]

Without hesitation, he chose "yes" and asked, "System, did Han Jiangchen die because he did too many things for me?"

After her friend passed away peacefully, Ye Xingluo heard an explanation from a high monk, who said that if a person takes on too much karmic retribution for others, it will deplete their vitality and eventually lead to an early death.

He always felt that Dr. Han had taken on too much for him, which was why she suddenly passed away.

But the system I had previously bound to was like a dead machine, refusing to speak no matter how I asked. Now that I've finally caught it, I'm naturally going to press for answers.

[Hidden Reward: Han Jiangchen came into this world because of the host. His physical life force has been completely exhausted, and his soul departed after completing the mission. If the host strives to complete the mission, he may be able to accumulate enough points to exchange for Han Jiangchen's soul to return. At that time, Heaven will make its own arrangements.]

After a moment of silence, the system suddenly gave a reply.

Ye Xinglu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, clenched her fists, and secretly made up her mind that no matter how difficult the task given by the system was, she would bring back Dr. Han's soul!

Just like myself, I was given a second chance to live with the help of the system!

Even if he has a different body and appearance by then, and even if we can't recognize each other, as long as he's alive and well, that's enough. He protected me for a while, and I will strive to protect him for the rest of my life!

Chapter 1 Host, you've entered the wrong group!

"Xiao Bai, what happened in the last mission world?" Suddenly pulled back to the script selection space, Jiang Chen asked with a bewildered look, "What do you mean by the body not being able to support the weight of the soul?"

The fluffy little ball tilted its head and thought for a moment before explaining, "Host, I submitted a report to the main system. According to its reply, that Dr. Han should have died long ago; it was only because your soul transmigrated into him that he lived a few more years."

Perhaps that body couldn't hold on any longer...

The main system said there would be compensation, so let's choose a new scenario and do a mission!

Jiang Chen sighed and nodded, "That's all we can do. I just don't know if Cat will be able to handle things on his own after we left the world where we were free to develop in the last mission."

Hopefully, my other self can help keep an eye on things.

He thought to himself, then casually picked up a script with a cover featuring vibrant colors and a vaguely visible ancient capital city. "This one will do."

"What's this on the cover?" The fluffy little dumpling blinked its big, dark blue eyes, not understanding, and hurriedly jumped onto its host's shoulder, craning its little head to look at the script together.

This is a fictional ancient story about political intrigue.

The male protagonist, Shangguan Xuanyu, is an elite trained for many years by the Imperial City Guard, which is directly under the Emperor of Yong'an Kingdom. In order to invade the enemy country of Nanqi, which has always been in confrontation with Yong'an Kingdom, he was sent to the capital of Nanqi as the leader of the spy network to infiltrate and gather military intelligence in preparation for the upcoming war.

After arriving in the capital of Southern Qi, Shangguan Xuanyu, using the alias Yu Gongzi, spent lavishly to befriend powerful and influential people.

At a poetry gathering, he encounters the perfect cover girl—the female protagonist Shen Qingluan. Out of a desire to exploit her, Young Master Yu takes the initiative to befriend her. The lovestruck Shen Qingluan falls in love with him at first sight, and from then on, the entire story unfolds.

The female protagonist, Shen Qingluan, is the younger sister of Shen Jiangchen, the regent and the most powerful minister in the Southern Qi Kingdom.

Using Shen Qingluan's identity as a cover, Shangguan Xuanyu secretly gathered various secrets and sent them back to the country. He also cleverly disrupted the politics of the Southern Qi Kingdom, causing the officials of various departments who were vying for power to fight amongst themselves and suffer heavy losses.

After the war broke out between the two countries, he used his keen intelligence to find out top secrets such as military deployments. With this inside information, the Yong'an army won many battles, while the Southern Qi Kingdom was plagued by internal and external troubles.

Foresighted that the Regent, the most powerful minister in Southern Qi, would be a major enemy in the future, Shangguan Xuanyu, with the help of Shen Qingluan, uncovered the Regent's various secrets and devised a plan to make him gradually lose the trust of the Southern Qi emperor, leaving him powerless and unable to offer advice.

As Shangguan Xuanyu was retreating after successfully completing his mission, the Regent noticed and led his personal guards to intercept him. A fierce battle ensued, and just as the Regent was about to stab the male protagonist to death, his sister Shen Qingluan bravely rushed forward to block the sword with her own body.

The regent, in his eagerness to protect his sister, missed his mark with his sword, only causing her to suffer minor injuries and faint. However, he himself was stabbed through the chest by Shangguan Xuanyu and died on the spot.

Shangguan Xuanyu was deeply moved by Shen Qingluan's deep affection and loyalty, so he brought her back to Yong'an Kingdom to take over the Imperial City Guard. After reaching the pinnacle of his career, he married his beautiful wife.

Thus, the two lovers, who had endured a tumultuous romance across borders, finally became a couple and were reunited in the grand finale.

"To be honest, Host, this is the most ingenious script I've ever seen." The fluffy dumpling couldn't help but praise after reading the script: "The various power struggles and intrigues are really interesting!"

The later hostage rescue operation, with its interconnected and causal steps, was particularly captivating!

It's truly remarkable that a scriptwriting team known for its incompetence could produce such a high-quality script, so even the female lead's hopelessly love-struck idiocy is tolerable.

Closing the script, Jiang Chen took a deep breath and shook his head, saying, "Don't forget that the story praises the male and female protagonists, so we must do everything we can to benefit them."

Look at my character setting: I have a car and a house, both parents are dead, I'm handsome, I'm capable and skilled in martial arts, and I'm a top talent in both civil administration and military strategy.

At the height of their power, they could even sideline the emperor and seize power at any time; they were truly invincible!

If the female lead wasn't such a terrible teammate, I would never have imagined that the male lead, hiding in his own capital, could defeat the Regent, who was second only to the emperor.

In my opinion, to elevate the entire script to the next level, a prequel story for the female lead needs to be added.

"A prequel?" The little white cat was taken aback. "What prequel?"

"After the host's analysis, isn't she just a brainless, incompetent romantic partner designed by the scriptwriters? She's a tool that can both help the male lead defeat the best supporting actor and stage a cross-border melodramatic love story to harvest tears and emotional appeal?"

He tapped the script with his hand and laughed, "Add a scene, and the female lead's foolish and deceitful behavior will be completely reasonable."

From her perspective, let me give a self-narration: A little girl who grew up in the Imperial City Guard without parents, she wore a veil from the time she could remember and never showed her true face. She was taught music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and court etiquette by various masters.

She never stepped out of her boudoir, and no one except the head of the Imperial City Guard had ever seen her true face.

Until one day, the chief priest brought a girl who looked exactly like her and had fainted, and told her: The time has come!

While the Regent was inspecting military affairs at the border, the Imperial City Guard's spies switched her with the real Shen Qingluan.

The girl's mission was to go undercover.

After returning to the capital, the regent was busy with political affairs and official duties and did not pay much attention to his sister, so he did not suspect anything.

The naturally intelligent girl used this time to figure out everything and get into the swing of things. From then on, she became the regent's only relative and most beloved younger sister.

Two years later, a handsome and wealthy young master named Yu arrived in the capital, known for his extravagant spending, literary and martial talents, and striking good looks. The daughters of various noble families were all enamored with him.

The girl also received a message from the Chief: Shangguan Xuanyu had taken over the Yong'an Kingdom's spy network, and she and he had a mission codename 'Holding Hands'.

The Regent doted on her, trusted her, and allowed her freedom. As a result, the girl met with Shangguan Xuanyu every few days. Everyone else thought that the Shen family's daughter was deeply in love with Young Master Yu. In reality, the two met only to exchange secret reports, stealing information they had gathered over the years and military secrets from the Regent's study to send back to Yong'an Kingdom.

The girl, far from home, longed for her homeland and hoped that Yong'an Kingdom could conquer Southern Qi as soon as possible!

However, the infiltration mission was difficult. Shangguan Xuanyu was secretly stirring up trouble, like dancing on a knife's edge. In order to complete the mission and return home as soon as possible, the girl used the regent to save him from danger each time.

The two countries fought fiercely, and the Southern Qi was defeated and negotiations were initiated, with the regent's power being completely stripped away.

Shangguan Xuanyu made another great contribution, and the emperor ordered him to return to Yong'an. However, after careful consideration, he decided to plot to kill the regent to eliminate future troubles.

So the two devised a new plan. Just as Shangguan Xuanyu's convoy was about to leave the capital, the girl deliberately revealed information. The Regent, with his meticulous mind, deduced that Young Master Yu's true identity was a spy from an enemy country, who led his personal guards to ambush him on the way to protect the country.

Despite his well-prepared plan, Shangguan Xuanyu was no match for the valiant Regent. Just as the future Chief Minister was about to die by the sword, the girl pretended to save her lover and rushed forward to block the sword.

As expected, the Regent doted on his sister so much that he risked damaging his own internal energy to stop his sword and avoid a fatal blow.

The girl, who only suffered minor superficial wounds, pretended to be unconscious; while Shangguan Xuanyu seized the opportunity to kill his enemy with his sword.

After years of infiltration, the girl and the future chief sergeant returned home successful. In the enemy country, they helped each other and developed feelings for one another, ultimately getting married in a perfect ending!

"Holy crap!" The fluffy little dumpling was stunned after hearing this. "Meow meow! Host, you really assigned the wrong person! What, the best supporting actor? You'd be a million times better than those idiots if you went to work in the scriptwriting team!"

This addition makes the story more plausible and relatable, and the process of the two falling in love becomes much more believable.

Otherwise... Anyway, I didn't see how Shen Qingluan fell in love with Shangguan Xuanyu in the script, and was even willing to betray her family and country to marry the person who killed her brother and spend her life with him. It's just too brainless!

I felt like strangling her just looking at her!

Chapter Two: Unreasonable

"As the best supporting actor, I don't have the right to strangle the female lead."

Jiang Chen shrugged and laughed, "After all, she's the original owner's younger sister. Let's see if we can bring her back after we enter the mission world. If we really can't change her love-obsessed persona, we'll think of other ways to deal with her."

The fluffy dumpling cheered excitedly, "Great! This time, the host is in a very high position and has great power. The emperor of Southern Qi in the plot is just a puppet."

Although there are no games to play, just thinking about the scenes in period dramas makes me think this mission world should be quite interesting. Of course, that's assuming the host can maintain their immense power and influence. Once I've dealt with the enemy spy, I can enjoy myself properly.

Oh right, let's see if we can use the tech tree then. If the cooldown period is over, we can play with infrastructure again in the ancient world.

Keep it up, host! You'll definitely win over the male and female leads and lead the soft and adorable kitten to the pinnacle of feline life!

The storyline is being integrated; the host is preparing to merge into the world...

3, 2, 1, let's go!

The light curtain disappeared, and Jiang Chen found himself standing in a magnificent, ornately decorated, and luxurious hall.

A gentle breeze stirred the white gauze curtains in the hall, and the red candles on a row of exquisitely crafted nine-branched bronze candlesticks had just been extinguished. At that moment, the sky outside the window was just beginning to lighten, just before dawn.

[Task: Agree to let your younger sister, Shen Qingluan, attend the poetry gathering hosted by Young Master Yu at the Orchid Garden today. Reward: One-time use C-grade item.]

Almost at the same time as entering the mission world, the main system mission was released.

At the same time, he had already received the current plot point in his mind.

Everything was just beginning. According to the timeline in the script, Shangguan Xuanyu had only been in the capital of Southern Qi for a short time. He had already secured his position through the intelligence network that Yong'an Kingdom had planted in the capital, and it was the perfect time for him to spend lavishly to cultivate relationships with powerful figures.

This poetry gathering invited many talented men and women to the Orchid Garden, which he purchased and renovated at great expense, to enjoy the spring blossoms, drink wine, and compose poetry together.

As the younger sister of Shen Jiangchen, the most powerful minister and regent in the Southern Qi Kingdom, Shen Qingluan naturally also received an invitation.