Chapter 155

 【1L: Can’t Hold Back Any Longer: Ye Zheng’s golden finger is way too overpowered and is going to completely destroy the manga’s power balance! Author, take a look at this new plot, does it even make sense?】

【2L: First off, Ye Zheng’s only known ability is controlling water with Stream, right? That alone doesn’t explain how she managed to contact multiple world-line versions of Wu Shu. There was zero prior setup or mention of anything like that. The only explanation I can think of is that the author forcefully added a bug just to boost Ye Zheng.】

【3L: Also, Wen Xiaoxing clearly said that the collapse of the Fate Singularity wouldn’t bring Ye Zheng back and would instead drag her into an even more chaotic world. But right after he said that, she appeared in the very next panel. So how exactly did she return? Pure luck?】

【4L: I don’t mind the author wanting to create a high-level female villain, but you can’t build up a powerful character, hype them to the sky, give readers endless expectations, and then completely ignore logic by turning them into a stepping stone for Ye Zheng. That’s irresponsible to both the character and the story, unless the later plot fills in these gaps, in which case just ignore what I said.】

【5L: I know powerful female leads are a current ZZZQ trend, but Ye Zheng’s escape this time relied entirely on her teammates, other characters’ abilities, and sheer luck. I honestly don’t see what’s so “powerful and amazing” about her. Maybe I’ve just read too many well-written strong female leads. Don’t the ones in XX, XXX, and XXXX completely outclass Ye Zheng?】

【6L: You dare say this in Zheng Army territory? Are you looking for trouble?】

【7L: Yeah, the OP basically said exactly what I’ve been thinking. Last time I questioned Ye Zheng for being too ruthless, Zheng fans accused me of having sexist stereotypes against women. I even started doubting myself, wondering if I was actually misogynistic. Now I get it, I just dislike people whose ability and virtue don’t match their position. That has nothing to do with gender.】

【8L: Zheng fans claim they love female characters, but they only care about Ye Zheng. This time her breakout relied entirely on Wu Shu, yet Zheng fans completely stole Wu Shu’s spotlight just to glorify their favorite girl…】

【9L: Wu Shu has basically been reduced to Ye Zheng’s tool. Why doesn’t Zheng Mom feel even a bit sorry for the other female characters?】

【10L: That’s just how “female baby moms” are. They love waving the banner of “supporting female characters” while attacking other women. In reality, the moment any woman threatens their interests or their favorite character, they instantly lash out.】

【11L: I’m so tired of this environment where feeling bad for a male character gets you labeled a “male baby mom.” Pei Xi has died so many times already. Who’s actually going to care about this poor guy who keeps getting used as a regression tool?】

【12L: Pei Xi didn’t even provoke anyone… Even if Ye Zheng is a villain, she shouldn’t be using innocent people like this just to break the situation, right?】

【13L: Wen Xiaoxing is pitiful too. His perfectly good fate-type ability got completely broken because Ye Zheng exploited a loophole. That scene where his eye shattered made him look like a soaked, puffed-up kitten, pitiful, cute, and kind of… spicy in a fujo way…】

【14L: Wu Shu, Pei Xi, and Wen Xiaoxing have basically formed a Victims Alliance. Just to give Ye Zheng a golden body, their characterizations and abilities have all been completely shattered. Can anyone explain why?】

……

The top comments in this post made Tang Mingxi laugh out loud. She hadn’t forgotten that earlier, when Wu Shu stole Pei Xi’s points right in front of him in the Blood Flower Aberrant Realm, nearly every thread on the forum was filled with people cursing Wu Shu, calling her despicable, saying her ability was inferior to Pei Xi’s and that she relied on dirty tricks, while also feeling sorry for Pei Xi.

And now, just to attack Ye Zheng, these same people had simultaneously activated two ultimate skills, rewriting history and switching stances at lightning speed.

The comments that once cursed Wu Shu were almost identical to the ones now being used against Ye Zheng. Tang Mingxi was convinced it was the same group of people. To fight Ye Zheng, they’d flexibly turned Wu Shu into their banner for the flame war. The only thing that never changed was that behind that banner, they were always protecting the male characters they favored.

【56L: As a fan of strong female lead novels, I thought the OP had recommended something worthwhile. I looked them up, two male-oriented novels from a certain site and one danmei from a certain river. My vision went black.】

【57L: OP seriously made me laugh to death. At least read a few actual strong female lead novels before judging whether Ye Zheng meets the standard, okay?】

【58L: The female characters in those three books the OP mentioned are indeed highly praised. They’re works that respect women, and a lot of people like those female characters. Isn’t that better than all those “pampered wife abuses female lead” stories?】

【59L: Female characters who get praised in male-centered works are usually just well-behaved supporting characters who don’t interfere with the male leads’ interests. And when I checked the tags, the male characters’ popularity completely overshadowed those female characters. You call that “a lot of people like them”?】

【60L: I’d say those kinds of female characters are just fashionable props that male fans use to pretend they support female characters.】

【61L: Just look at how Ye Zheng is being attacked right now. Any female character who actually dares to flip the table on male characters is going to get hated to death by male fans…】

【62L: Wu Shu may be cold, but that doesn’t mean she has no supporters. Why don’t you all try pretending to be Wu Shu fans for once? Do you even remember how badly she was cursed on this forum before?】

【63L: Since you Pei fans and Wen fans feel so sorry for Wu Shu, why not give her some of your characters’ screen time? Ye Zheng hasn’t appeared for three whole weeks, we couldn’t give her screen time even if you wanted to. But those two have plenty, don’t they?】

【64L: My stomach hurts from laughing. I fully support giving Pei Xi’s and Wen Xiaoxing’s screen time to Wu Shu!】

【65L: #Pei Xi Fans Have Officially Signed the Agreement to Transfer His Screen Time to Wu Shu# #Wen Xiaoxing Fans Have Promised to Hand Over His Highlights for Free# #Pei Xi and Wen Xiaoxing Express Shock, Confusion, and Total Unawareness#】

【66L: Ye Zheng dominates both inside and outside the manga. If that doesn’t count as strong, then what is the useless protagonist Pei Xi supposed to do?】

【67L: When a man uses connections and resources, it’s called strategy. When a woman does it, it’s called stepping on others to climb up. Wu Shu herself has no objections, so what exactly are you all making noise about?】

【68L: If Ye Zheng and Wu Shu were gender-swapped, people would already be screaming about a queen and her loyal hound getting together. Want to bet?】

【69L: You people really love pitting women against each other. Two women who worked together to break the situation still get twisted into rivals. You’re seriously skilled at creating internal division among women…】

Tang Mingxi read with deep satisfaction. Back when Zheng fans were few and powerless, she’d had to brace herself and rush to the very front lines. She would often have to scroll to the two- or even three-hundredth comment just to find a single person speaking up for Ye Zheng.

But now, countless people were stepping forward for Ye Zheng. Even though the overall atmosphere was still extremely hostile toward her, she was simply too exceptional. No matter how messy or unfair the plot arrangements were, they couldn’t stop people from being drawn in by her sheer charm.

【264L: Can Ye Zheng fans please understand the point? This plot segment for Ye Zheng is obviously a forced power-up and makes no sense at all. No matter how loud Zheng Mom shouts, it won’t change that reality.】

【265L: I don’t even dare to speak anymore. It feels like supporting male characters has become some kind of original sin. What’s wrong with female readers wanting more handsome and outstanding male characters? The male players next door are already going with “no males, no play.” If you like female characters that much, why don’t you just go play among yourselves?】

【266L: Because the men pushing “no males, no play” are genuinely objectifying and ogling female characters, while women, most of the time, are the ones giving male characters depth and elevating them into something godlike. If you really only treated male characters as so-called female-gaze toys, you wouldn’t have such a huge issue with Ye Zheng…】

【267L: Oh wow, that OP ID looks familiar. A former Zhao Mei fan who’s always trying to revive Ye Zheng’s alt account. Recently turned into a Wen Xiaoxing solo stan and hasn’t even spared Pei Xi. Are the Pei Xi fans in this thread still rushing into battle alongside him?】

【268L: Honestly, the Pei Xi fans know the truth deep down, but if it’s for attacking Ye Zheng, this little bit of grievance doesn’t matter at all.】

【269L: Here we go again. The moment the OP actually speaks the truth, you people start dragging out fan credentials. Is it because you can’t refute what the OP is saying?】

Tang Mingxi couldn’t help clicking her tongue and rolling her eyes at these comments.

It was honestly ridiculous that this OP was pinning the plot holes on Ye Zheng. Anyone with eyes could tell that Wen Xiaoxing had been the one forcing power-ups from the very beginning. After Ye Zheng disappeared, the plot had shifted entirely onto Pei Xi, so naturally the author hadn’t had the space to show how Ye Zheng actually broke the situation.

The complaints about a “golden finger” were even more laughable. Where exactly was the golden finger in those time regressions? Ye Zheng had simply been clever enough to take advantage of the protagonist Pei Xi’s even bigger cheat compared to the supporting character Wen Xiaoxing.

Even that stunning scene where Ye Zheng killed Yinkong had been deliberately kept out of the main chapter to prevent her from overshadowing everything else, only released later as an extra. Didn’t that already say enough about the author’s stance? And yet, these people still stubbornly insisted that Ye Zheng was the author’s so-called real daughter.

Tang Mingxi had always found the official attitude toward Throne of the Aberrant Realm strangely inconsistent, as if the left and right sides of the brain were fighting each other. Ye Zheng’s plotlines never felt like something the old uncle could write on his own, and the fact that he was so lazy he even dumped her extra chapters on the assistant made that clear.

But if they really wanted to keep Ye Zheng from stealing the spotlight, then why release any extras about her at all?

She thought about it carefully. Now that Throne of the Aberrant Realm was even getting an anime, and judging by the quality of the PV, the company clearly had big ambitions to turn it into a major IP. In this era, as long as the characters looked attractive, the designs were trendy, the marketing pushed handsome guys and boys’ love, and the production values stayed high with epic scenes and solid fight choreography, the chances of it blowing up were very high.

So for a work that carried such high hopes, it made sense that besides the old uncle as the main writer, other people inside the company were also involved in shaping the plot. It was no surprise that the story sometimes showed completely opposite attitudes.

Tang Mingxi thought that the company people had better wise up. Ye Zheng was the biggest highlight of this manga, wasn’t she? Never mind how strong her own character design was. Because of all the various plot points, she had broken out of the fandom multiple times, and plenty of people outside the circle only referred to Throne of the Aberrant Realm as “that Ye Zheng manga.”

Ye Zheng’s breakout scene was definitely going to be way more exciting than Pei Xi’s fishing expedition or any of those empty-air battles. Yet the author was still hiding and downplaying her plot. That was the limit of a small man’s vision.

She scrolled down angrily. When she reached the very bottom, her eyes suddenly lit up. She opened her mouth in disbelief and quickly switched apps.

【389L: Oh my god, it looks like the OP’s wish actually came true! The new extra is exactly the plot of Ye Zheng breaking out of the situation!】

【390L: Ahhhh the Zheng antis wanted it and they got it, hahahahaha!】

【391L: I refuse to let anyone miss my master’s new extra! This woman is so strong she turned the OP into a complete joke.】

Tang Mingxi opened the manga app again. Happiness had arrived so suddenly. No one had expected Ye Zheng’s extra chapters to start updating weekly just like the main story!

The post criticizing Ye Zheng for not being independent or strong enough had quieted down for a short while because of the sudden new extra. But after many people finished reading the latest extra, the thread was quickly pushed back to the very top by a flood of readers for a public execution!

【496L: After reading the new extra, I sincerely suggest the OP delete this post. Ye Zheng’s perseverance, wisdom, and ability are absolutely the top 1 in this manga. I dare say this extra is way better than the main story. The OP has truly become a clown.】

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Authors Note  

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There is still one more update. It will probably come out around one o’clock, so adults can read it tomorrow morning.