To the Reader

From the moment this book received its first round of recommendations until now, its development has been accompanied by a chorus of questioning.

I will say it again: I have an outline, and thus far, everything has proceeded exactly as planned within that framework.

As for the claims that I failed to lay groundwork, left no foreshadowing, ignored my own settings, or introduced a sudden plot twist around chapter 140, I can only say: "..."

You may argue that my foreshadowing was poorly executed, making it difficult for you to understand or enjoy—I accept that. I have never claimed to be a perfect writer. However, the accusation that I neglected foreshadowing or discarded established settings is something I cannot accept.

Regarding the foreshadowing of the male lead’s "second playthrough," I began planting those seeds even before the book was monetized.

Here is a rough summary of the relevant chapters:
Chapter 32: The male lead experiences a vivid dream about the female lead for the first time, merely questioning it as a strange occurrence.
Chapter 57: Fragmented dreams during the hiatus of the dating show, leaving him unable to distinguish reality upon waking.
Chapter 59: The "Star Motion 1+1" premonition manifests in reality; the male lead begins to suspect his dreams are a form of "cheat code."
Chapter 123: A strange dream on the way back from partnering with his ex-girlfriend.

Chapter 126: A long nightmare on the plane; this marks his true awakening.
Chapter 128: The content of this chapter already clearly hints that the male lead has realized he is in a second playthrough.
Chapter 130: After his memories fully awaken, he feels a sense of familiarity toward everyone he meets, and he drops hints that he knows Zhang Chen’s true background.
Chapter 131: While playing a game, the male lead intentionally questions Zhang Chen about his father.
Chapter 132: The psychological depiction in this chapter makes his realization explicit.

There are other minor details I won't list here.

To those who say the male lead is a coward and unworthy of the female lead: I want to say that he is not a coward; he is very brave. If he were truly a coward, he could have easily avoided the mess entirely. After his memories awakened, he could have chosen to prevent the female lead from falling for him, severed the roots of their connection, forgotten her, and lived his new life entirely for himself. That would have been true cowardice.

Every person in this world is living their own life. My male lead is not a character who, having been granted "omniscience" from certain perspectives, can easily punch his way through the world. He has changed, and his changes inevitably influence others to change as well. I touched on this in his final conversation with his ex-girlfriend. He has unlocked a second playthrough, but he was never the god of that world to begin with.

This plot will not change. If I were to change it, it would no longer be the story I intended to write.

He is a character of my own creation, and I know him better than anyone. I have carefully and meticulously pondered his psychology, as well as the growth and psyche of every character in this book. Perhaps my abilities are limited, and I failed to reflect their depth as well as I hoped—this is my flaw, and it is an area where I must strive to improve.

Furthermore, there is not a single perfect character in this book. In my design, they were never meant to be perfect; they are allowed to make mistakes. Human nature is inherently flawed. If you are looking for perfect characters without faults, I will tell you in advance: you will not find them here.

I have never considered my writing to be flawless, nor have I ever let success go to my head. I still hope to break through my own bottlenecks with this book and achieve the progress I demand of myself. Even the smallest step forward is worth it to me.

If you enjoy the story, please stay; if you do not, please do not force yourself. There is no need to exhaust yourself trying to strangle this book in its cradle.