What should I do if my best friend is a green tea? [Transmigrated into a Book]

Yan Xi is a graduate student whose life is upended when she dreams of a novel where her best friend, Zhou Qingyu, is the malicious villainess destined for a tragic end. In the story, Zhou Qingyu is consumed by an obsession with Pei Yubai, an illegitimate son of the wealthy Pei family, who exploits her wealth to build his entertainment empire while romancing the novel’s heroine, Ye Luoyi. Zhou Qingyu’s relentless scheming against Ye Luoyi leads to her public humiliation, financial ruin, and eventual exile to a remote island. When real-life events begin mirroring the dream, Yan Xi discovers she is bound to a Side Character System that cannot alter the plot but can track Zhou Qingyu’s “Fortune value.” Realizing that Zhou Qingyu’s fortune is being drained by her devotion to Pei Yubai, Yan Xi resolves to intervene and save her friend from her predetermined fate.

The narrative shifts to the present, where Zhou Qingyu is already embroiled in a scandal after slapping Ye Luoyi on set. Yan Xi attempts to dissuade Zhou Qingyu from participating in the variety show “Let’s Travel Together,” a key event in the novel where Zhou Qingyu is publicly ridiculed. Although Yan Xi’s initial ploy to fake a breakup fails to stop Zhou Qingyu from traveling with Pei Yubai, she successfully manipulates the situation to replace Zhou Qingyu’s sycophantic companion, Xu Yangyang, with herself. Yan Xi understands that Xu Yangyang is a predator who steals Zhou Qingyu’s resources and will later betray her when she falls from grace. By inserting herself into the narrative, Yan Xi aims to shield Zhou Qingyu from these harms while gradually rebuilding her Fortune value.

As Yan Xi and Zhou Qingyu spend time together, Yan Xi strategically diverts Zhou Qingyu’s wealth away from Pei Yubai and Xu Yangyang. She forces Zhou Qingyu to confront Xu Yangyang’s theft of luxury goods and her attempt to fraudulently use Zhou Qingyu’s membership card at a spa. These interventions result in small but significant increases to Zhou Qingyu’s Fortune value. Yan Xi learns that she needs to accumulate 60 points to break Pei Yubai’s psychological hold on Zhou Qingyu and 100 points to fully escape the novel’s tragic ending. The system warns her that the main plot is resistant to change, but Yan Xi remains determined to chip away at the narrative’s control through careful, incremental actions.

The conflict intensifies when Pei Yubai summons Zhou Qingyu to Tianhui Entertainment to convince her to continue with the variety show, ensuring the plot proceeds as written. Yan Xi, fearing for Zhou Qingyu’s safety and emotional well-being, infiltrates the building under the guise of a aspiring actress recruited by a talent manager. Her presence is noticed by Ye Luoyi, who perceives Yan Xi as a rival due to their similar “pure” images. Meanwhile, Zhou Qingyu is berated by Pei Yubai for her behavior on set, highlighting the toxic dynamic that has kept her trapped. Yan Xi’s infiltration is cut short, but her efforts underscore the urgency of her mission. The story establishes a clear trajectory: Yan Xi must navigate the entertainment industry’s treacherous waters, outmaneuver Ye Luoyi and Pei Yubai, and systematically restore Zhou Qingyu’s fortune before the novel’s climax destroys them both.

Throughout these early chapters, the narrative explores the mechanics of fate and agency within a fictionalized world. Yan Xi’s academic background and modern sensibilities allow her to analyze the situation logically, treating the novel’s plot as a system to be hacked rather than an immutable destiny. Zhou Qingyu, despite her initial stubbornness, begins to rely more on Yan Xi than on Pei Yubai, signaling a shift in her allegiances. The story sets the stage for a prolonged battle of wits, where Yan Xi uses wealth, social maneuvering, and insider knowledge to protect her friend. The central tension lies in whether Yan Xi can accumulate enough Fortune value to override the narrative’s force before the variety show and subsequent events lock Zhou Qingyu into her villainous role permanently.