Chapter 77 - Role Playing the Dark Horse Character

Chapter 77 - Is This Another Hidden Plotline? The manga updates at midnight, with the first-ever character popularity poll concluding simultaneously. The results are announced at noon the next day, so Li Li decides to wait until noon to both see the poll results and read the manga. After class, she returns to her dorm, quickly finishes her lunch, and starts reading the manga right on time. The manga is from Yi Ming's perspective, so this chapter recounts their experiences in Zhusheng City. Since leaving Four-Way City, An Huyu’s sleep quality has plummeted, and he often appears fatigued. This chapter focuses on his mental stress and features a classic shonen manga storyline where Yi Ming and the others try to console him. Believing his brother is dead and feeling guilty about their last unpleasant meeting, An Huyu represses his emotions to force himself to grow. Tang notices his stress, so she, Yi Ming, and Yu Xiao decide to celebrate An Huyu’s birthday. In this alternate world, birthdays still hold significance. The manga illustrates An Huyu’s past birthdays through his memories—celebrations with his parents and later, his elder brother making him a cake after their parents passed. After losing his brother, An Huyu barricades himself in his room, intending to spend the night in solitude. But when candlelight flickers, and three newly-made friends present him with a birthday cake, An Huyu can no longer hold back his tears. He cries and eats the cake at the same time. However, he bites into a mouthful of spicy lion peppers, a specialty of Zhusheng City. The overall flavor in Zhusheng City is spicy, and the cake was bought by Yu Xiao, who accidentally chose spicy instead of sweet. This warm scene ends humorously with all four of them guzzling ice water, their faces streaming with tears from the heat. Despite crying, they glance at each other's spicy-red faces and can't help but burst into laughter. Looking at the black-and-white pages where An Huyu is shown both crying and smiling, Li Li muses that if An Heyu saw this, he would surely be happy. The friendship among these youths continues to deepen through these playful interactions, forming a bond that parents can't replicate. The manga doesn't stop there. After this emotional scene, the group continues living their gladiatorial lifestyle. Before the chapter concludes, they encounter a familiar face—someone other than Yu Xiao who left a deep impression on the trio—a battle maniac who once mistook Yi Ming for Hei Ge and fought them: Yan Changxiao. Yan Changxiao is challenging the biggest and most frenzied arena in Zhusheng City under the Sangs' noble eye. "It looks like Yan Changxiao is going to face the blade in this arc," Li Li speculates, drawing from her extensive experience. Every arc in "Beyond Black and White" inevitably features a character facing a crisis. Previously, the writer was cautious, but since the Desolate Dragon arc—thanks to Li Li's pivotal moment—seems like the floodgates have opened. In the Four-Way City Arc, Mo Mo nearly died saving You You. In the Truth and Falsehood Arc, An Huyu faced a lethal threat, where without Li Li's intervention, An Heyu would have died. Li Li has developed a theory: if a newly introduced character with a mysterious background comes in, congratulations, either they or their close ones will face a crisis. She flips back through the manga to Yan Changxiao's introduction chapter, her gaze stopping on a line he said during a conversation with Li Baige. "We're all the same, aren't we? Choosing to give up everything else for a belief, stepping into hell alone and burning our lives as fuel." It seems the blade will fall upon his "belief." Li Li ponders this for a moment before exiting the manga interface. For now, she feels that Yi Ming and the others aren't going to face any insurmountable challenges. They're not actively targeting the nobles, so the likelihood of encountering high-level ability users is quite low. "The main characters of a manga don't die," Li Li muses as she stretches her arms and rolls her shoulders. She then switches to the manga details page to view the popularity poll results. With noon having passed, the page refreshes to reveal a long chart, featuring a barrage feature as well. The page starts from the tenth place in the popularity poll, and upon entering, Li Li immediately identifies what is ranked tenth. It's the white doves from Four-Way City's "Heart" Plaza. Nomination reason: Give some respect to the professional background actors of Four-Way City! [Hahaha, what a shocker upon opening the page!] [What is wrong with you guys!] [I do seem to recall frequently seeing those white doves, let me check how many times they appeared in the manga.] [At first glance, I thought you voted for Li Baige, but on second glance... What the—?!] Because current popularity often correlates with recent appearances in the manga, only one character from before the Desolate Dragon arc broke into the top ten, reaching ninth place. And the has-been character Hua Yizhi managed to claim eighth place, purely based on looks. Li Li scrolls down. Seventh place goes to An Huyu, who just recently joined the main cast. Sixth place features an image of a blue-eyed corgi, nominated with the reason: What Yi Ming, isn’t the manga's protagonist the corgi? [Hahahaha absolutely, makes total sense!] [No incongruity whatsoever.] [You guys are weird, what are you even voting for!] [Fake protagonist: Yi Ming. True protagonist: Corgi.] [Therefore I choose the corgi (dog)] Other than the two unexpected entries, ranks from ten to six mostly leaned on looks. Of course, An Huyu, being part of the main team but having just recently made his appearance, faces a disadvantage in popularity compared to others. Following this are the top five players, where the background changes to red. Before the fifth image fully loads, Li Li spots a distinctive cowlick. [Recognized by the cowlick.] [Is it you! Our perfect white moonlight!] [Aaaahhh our male god Gu Zi is here!] [Gu Zi Gu Zi Gu Zi!!] Scrolling further down, it's indeed "Li." On the red background, the rectangular frame shows an image of Li and Yi Ming making a promise in the corridor, captured in the moment they say "Sure." The black-and-white original, with a seemingly blurred background, features a young man with black hair, looking both sorrowful and slightly smiling. [They chose this image?!] [Happy about the merchandise but also reminded of his fate once again. Oh, my poor Li!] [Waaaah, who picked this image! Who!] Li Li continues scrolling. Fourth place goes to the foolish yet charming beauty in the manga, Yu Xiao. The selected image shows Yu Xiao staring at a white dove, wide-eyed as if lost in thought. The background is filled with white doves taking flight; against this canvas, the boy seems the most innocent and lovely angel. [Aaaah Yu Xiao darling!] [I say, this face should definitely appear in commercials!] [Let mommy pinch those cheeks!] Scrolling further reveals third place. As Li Li scrolls down, she first sees a head of black hair. There are only two possible candidates for the top three with black hair—either it's her or Tang, who has yet to appear in this round. Li Li doesn't ponder for long. Her fingers move, eager to see the outcome. Though she felt nervous before the results, once they're out, it's futile to worry—better to rip the bandaid off quickly. The picture gradually comes into view—a black-haired girl looking down at candies in her hand. Her obedient hair falls adorably, her eyes shimmering with tears as she gazes at the candy wrappers glinting as if glowing. [Kitty Tang!] [Boohoo, my daughter is too adorable!] [Indeed, it’s this image, Tang's crying almost melts my heart.] [Don't cry, don't cry, let's go to Floating City together!] "It seems I made it to the top two," Li Li muses, feeling confident unless Hei Ge hasn't made an appearance. Since the manga creator revealed Li Baige equals Hei Ge, Li Baige isn't nominated. However, since Hei Ge equals Li hasn't surfaced yet, Li Li doesn't think they'll spoil prematurely by leaving Hei Ge unlisted. She scrolls further down and sees yet another head of black hair. "Second place, then," Li Li nods, satisfied with the results. In the picture, black crows soar beside a black-haired young man who smiles with such reckless abandon that even his eyebrows emanate a wild intensity. Upon closer look, his eyes reveal an overflow of madness. It's the scene where Li Li first faces off against S-rank Yue Qing. [Aaaah my dashing Hei Ge!] [Everyone loves beauty and strength, haha!] [!! I remember this moment! I became a fan here! Hei Ge is so cool!] [Haha, I give up! I admit I'm compelled by strength!] [The character I like is still that intensely charismatic Hei Ge!] [Gu Zi Gu Zi! I want a life-sized pillow of him to sleep with!] [I want that too!] [+10086!!! Make it happen asap!] Li Li mutters internally: How come I don’t get the mama hugs? Reflecting briefly, she attributes it to the difference between an adult and a minor. "Whew," Li Li leans back in her chair and continues scrolling, "then the first must be the little corgi, right?" As expected, the first place goes to the manga's protagonist, Yi Ming. [No matter what, we have to give Yi Ming some face (dog)] [Poor little corgi, just got beaten, and now has to endure daily beatings.] [Forced to choose Yi Ming over the corgi, but I want both!] [You are the only light in the dark world! You are the indomitable little sun!] [Long live Beyond Black and White! Long live the little corgi!] In this first popularity poll, many people voted for the manga's protagonist, also partly because Yi Ming's highlight just concluded. However, what resonated more with the manga readers was not just the acknowledgment of Yi Ming as the protagonist but also his charismatic personality. When Li Li first followed the manga purely as a reader, she didn’t mind this little corgi at all. She looked at the image representing the first place. It depicted an ordinary afternoon where the boy smiled radiantly at those off-frame. No shadows clouded him, embodying the youthful spirit and vitality. But Li Li's task is to surpass this manga protagonist, to outshine someone whom the readers of "Beyond Black and White" find flawless. So, did she lose this time? Resting her chin on her hand, Li Li scrolled the page up. The percentages of votes for each character's ranking are also published. As Li Li adds up the votes of fifth place (Li) and second place (Hei Ge), the final tally— Comes out to surpass Yi Ming's first-place count, exceeding by an impressive ten percent. Even factoring in the humorous blue-eyed corgi in sixth place, the lead remains. "Is this the hidden plotline?" Li Li couldn’t help but comment. The sense of déjà vu made it hard to dismiss the thought. In any case, Li Li felt she might discern the manga artist's intentions in the next installment. If she doesn't appear, she'll continue as a supporting character; if she does, she will rise from supporting to main character, driving parallel plotlines. She was extremely excited. ... After viewing the popularity rankings, Li Li glanced at the time and checked the forums. The forums were buzzing with discussions centered on the recently announced results of the first character popularity poll. As the apparent second place, Hei Ge's forum discussion was particularly lively. [In a secret chat—my best friend promised to vote for Cowlick Li but ended up voting for Hei Ge, that traitor!] [Sorry Hei Ge, I once cursed you due to a misunderstanding, so I voted for you this time!] [Feeling a bit sorry for him, before I knew it, my fingers cast a vote for him.] [Power fans, is there any need to hesitate! No! Loudly tell me who the top power in this manga is!] [Gu Zi Gu Zi, saving up to buy Gu Zi! Life-size pillow will be available, right?] ... [Look at the top five; only Hei Ge doesn't have a cute nickname. Come on, forum folks!] 1st Floor OP Cowlick Li, Sunfish, Kitty Tang, Little Corgi, only Hei Ge is left out—what are you doing, guys! Just because he's not part of the main crew? How biased! So, what should it be called? 2nd Floor Good question, I’ll start with a suggestion. Big Brother Ge! 3rd Floor That's too shabby, I say it should be—Challenger Ge! 4th Floor Let's go with something nice-sounding—Chameleon Ge? 5th Floor Listen to me, let's call him: All's Ge! 6th Floor I'm going to die laughing in this thread. 7th Floor They’re mostly animals, how about Black Crow Ge? 8th Floor Are you looking down on our Black Cat Ge! 9th Floor I'm just here to watch you all argue haha. Though really, I think it should be Cackle Ge. 10th Floor Are you making chicken noises up there! Cackle cackle cackle! 11th Floor Cackle cackle cackle cackle! ... Flipping further, Li Li almost couldn’t differentiate between "cackle" and "Ge" anymore. And glancing again at the group chat, those friends who were bickering over votes days ago were now reconciled. Because now they all have merchandise to look forward to. "Should I buy some when it comes out?" Li Li pondered. Though her thoughts wandered, a glance at the clock reminded her that her afternoon class was about to begin. "It'll likely be after finals," she shook her head, stood up, and packed her bag. For now, her most crucial task in this world is the upcoming final exams next week. After all, manga popularity can't help her with her exams. Of course, neither can the conveniently dormant system. ... Upon returning to the manga world, Li Li adopts the guise of a squinting-eyed girl, confidently walking down the street. Squinting eyes are often seen as peculiar, so Li Li aims to become peculiar! Of course, her personal aesthetic plays a role in this. Using her original face, she only needs minor makeup adjustments, simple yet disarming. After her usual farewell with An Heyu, she strolls down Sector One's streets, eventually reaching the public library of Dyed-eye City. Perhaps from recent obsessive studying, her initial reaction upon seeing rows of bookshelves through the glass was: Let's find some exercise books and textbooks. Quickly maintaining her squinting visage, she stepped inside, heels clicking. Of course, textbooks aren't her goal. Learning about the history of this alternate world seems like a logical reason to visit a library. With no entry requirements, the Dyed-eye City public library houses patrons of all kinds. Adults poring over volumes, children browsing picture books, and elderly folks perusing newspapers. Signs designate silent and discussion areas, clearly separating the spaces. Li Li walked along the history and cultural shelves, searching for a suitable book to deepen her understanding of the manga world and glean any useful information. Just as she was about to pull a book off the shelf, a slightly familiar voice spoke, seemingly directed at her: "If you're interested in that, I can recommend a travelogue better suited for quickly grasping the Empire." Li Li turned her head to see a woman who was a stranger to her. It was someone she had saved twice before. Her face wore a veneer of numbness, like a mere shell. Yet, looking at Li Li, she seemed to grasp at something with her weary hands. At that moment, she held out a book. "I spend a lot of time here. You can trust my recommendation," she said. Li Li noted that she didn't mention anything about nighttime incidents, unsure if it was due to it being daytime or if she solely wished to recommend a book. The squinting, black-haired girl maintained her smile, with the lines of her eyes mostly hidden by her short, dark hair. Watching as the woman extended her hand, offering the book, Li Li tilted her head slightly and quickly accepted it. "Alright," Li Li agreed to the recommendation.