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The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System
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Web Novel (CN)
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Rating(4.3 / 5.0, 2996 votes)
5    63% (1886 votes)
4    19% (584 votes)
3    10% (289 votes)
2    4% (121 votes)
1    4% (116 votes)
Language
Support Book (#ad)
Author(s)
One entry per line
Artist(s)
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N/A
Year
Example: 2012
2014
Status in COO
Status in Country of Origin. One entry per line
81 Chapters + 20 Side Stories (Completed)
Licensed
Yes
Completely Translated
Original Publisher
One entry per line
English Publisher
One entry per line
Release Frequency
Every 497 Day(s)
Activity Stats
[Graph]
Weekly Rank: #299
Monthly Rank: #2725
All Time Rank: #251
Reading List
[Graph]
On 26257 Reading Lists
Monthly Rank: #5660
All Time Rank: #10

Description

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“Can’t I properly read stallion novels anymore!”

Shen Yuan transmigrated into someone who’d tormented the young male lead almost to death, the s*um villain Shen Qingqiu.

It must be known, the original Shen Qingqiu ended up being carved alive by his disciple, Luo Binghe, into a human stick, a human stick!

Ten thousand “f*ck your moms” rampaged through Shen Qingqiu’s heart:

“It’s not that I don’t want to cling to the male lead’s thighs, but who made him so f*cking black. The type who seeks thousand-fold retribution!”

Why have all the female lead’s scenes been forcibly given to him.

Why, as a s*um villain, does he need to constantly sacrifice himself, blocking knife and gun for the protagonist!

Shen Qingqiu: “…I think I can still save him, one more time.”

Associated Names
One entry per line
Chuan Shu Zijiu Zhinan [Donghua]
Hệ Thống Tự Cứu Của Nhân Vật Phản Diện
Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong
Scumbag System
SVSSS
Система «Спаси-Себя-Сам» для Главного Злодея
Система власного порятунку для мерзотного лиходія
ตัวร้ายอย่างข้า...จะหนีเอาตัวรอดยังไงดี
クズ悪役の自己救済システム
人渣反派自救系统
穿书自救指南 [Donghua]
인사반파자구계통
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Every Day the Protagonist Wants to Capture Me (35)
Transmigrating into a Mob Character to Rehabilitate the Villain Plan (34)
The Reader and Protagonist Definitely Have to Be in True Love (31)
The Founder of Diabolism (25)
The Husky and His White Cat Shizun (15)
Who Dares Slander My Senior Brother (14)
Recommendation Lists
  1. my favorites
  2. I love a toxic BL
  3. Already read / need to reread
  4. completed
  5. nom nom

Latest Release

Date Group Release
06/25/22 Keslations v1c3
09/23/21 Keslations v1c2
05/09/21 Keslations v1c1
Write a Review
496 Reviews sorted by


Sairlyss
New Sairlyss rated it
May 12, 2025
Status: c99
Was a fun read. Pretty funny novel at parts, though some bits hurt a bit more. Enjoyed LBH and SQQ's dynamic (wet dog top x pristine cat bottom), but didn't terribly like the way author handled the dynamic. Giving this a 4 because the pacing felt a bit awkward to me, and I did cringe at the number of misunderstandings going on, but it was a fun read nonetheless.
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NyxEclipse
NyxEclipse rated it
June 14, 2017
Status: Completed
So I'll be careful to no spoil anything here at least.

Honestly? The MC and his student are a hilarious pair together. Sure things get a tad bit angsty in the future, but what's a story without some good old drama?

The system never fails to disappoint. I swear it's so troll about its point system and quests that I feel like slapping it sometimes. It's a good reminder that our MC is actually not from this world.

So read this for the humor, sassy characters and hopeless puppy love. Yes,... more>> there's plenty of that is this novel.

So without any further delay,

Spoiler

The romance of the MC and ML can be said to be built on misunderstandings. Although, that is not entirely the case. The ML appears to have fallen for the MC quite early on, but the MC only really decided to accept the ML quite late, somewhere around chapter 80 or so? At that point the MC proved his decision to stay with the ML through some... really painful sexy time...I winced inwardly at that part.

It was quite touching to see the ML's dedication towards the MC. (Dude hugged a corpse to sleep for 5 years wtf.) The earlier parts (before the system forced the MC to push the ML into the abyss) was this mutual happy daily life arc. Both parties were content with life as teacher and student. At this point, ML was a really devoted student and his fondness might not have crossed into love yet. Either that or he just hadn't realised his feelings yet.

Then came the 'I'm back from the abyss!' arc. It kind of threw the MC of guard since the ML came back faster than expected. But oh well, he went with it and tried to awkwardly avoid the ML as much as possible thinking that his student hated him for kicking him into the abyss. (As per the original story) The two kind of fell out because of this, so when MC was being framed for some crime ML failed to defend him, resulting in the MC being thrown into jail. After escaping with some help, the MC travels to a city and has a dream along the way. In the dream, he abruptly realises the cause for the strange the point gaining method thus far. This part was honestly gold. The rationalisation that the MC used to figure it out plus the ever so helpful kiss from the ML had me rolling on the ground in laughter for a good while.

Then MC fakes his death, leaving our little puppy devastated. Of course he returns after 5 years, but many thins have changed by then. This final arc helps to fill up some plot holes, introduce us to a deadpan father who says ridiculous things and give our side characters a little spotlight. The ending is a happy one despite all the hardships our MC and ML had to face. The troll system continues to troll, but at least it was kinda helpful towards the end. We are also treated to some extras including an interview where 'interesting' questions are asked about the MC and ML's relationship, as well as a an occasion where the original ML (the one from the harem stallion novel) and the puppy love ML are swapped. No, original ML didn't kill MC on the spot, but it was so damn funny how the MC realised that the ML was a different one. (Really? Your technique in bed is too good to be him?)

Come to think of it, a lot of the misunderstandings stemmed from the MC's initial over reliance on the original story's plot. Because of that, he kept misreading the ML, causing much suffering on both their parts. The MC also realises this near the end, thinking that if only he understood how the ML actually felt all this time, they could have avoided so much pain and suffering.

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I wish the translators all the best in translating this wonderful novel so that more can enjoy it! <<less
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Wisteria1
Wisteria1 rated it
June 4, 2020
Status: Completed
I finished this novel recently and I am going to give my honest, constructive thoughts. It left me feeling empty at the end, and feeling robbed. The novel prides itself as a gay romance, but the main relationship really does not show romantic interest throughout all ~80 chapters.
Spoiler

The MC SQQ never appears to be romantically interested in the ML Binghe in the main novel. In fact SQQ considers him like a son, and towards the end of the novel he stresses that even more. And before the very last chapter, still considers himself straight. Instead of romantic love there is a savior complex.

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The novel is heavily misogynistic with almost every trope I hate in Hollywood romances is used in this. The MC is constantly compared to as a woman, and is forcibly put into that "role." Whereas the ML acts as the "male" of the relationship. SQQ is constantly sacrificing everything like his friends, title, home life and own feelings to help the ML. The ML's baggage and man pain is thrown onto him. But does the ML ever appreciate it? Never. He is in a constant state of angsting and man pain, and takes it out on SQQ.

Spoiler

SQQ literally dies for him three times, but does this change LBH? No, instead he remains the exact same, complaining and whining. And in the end SQQ basically loses everything for this obsessed and insecure man. He only has the ML who still has the audacity to think that the MC doesn't love him and isn't doing anything to help him.

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I read a lot of hero/villain content and have very dark ships. But this relationship goes beyond unhealthy. The ML goes beyond the typical yandere limits. The ML is constantly obsessing over the MC throughout the whole novel. He stalks him, hunts him down and whines whenever SQQ so much as looks at someone else. And it's painted in a light where we're supposed to pity and coddle the ML.

Spoiler

Tw: r*pe. So in order to stop the ML from going mad, the MC lets the ML r*pe him. And it is the most graphic, disgusting r*pe I've read. SQQ is just suffering the whole time, but it's painted as a sacrifice in order for ML to be okay. It's romanticized, and don't even get me on all of the comments of that chapter of people explaining why SQQ needed to get r*ped. But it doesn't end there, the extras have more r*pe. I understand that this is BL, but the way it is romanticized in this novel is appalling.

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The main relationship just feels as though the MC gave up from all the ab*se suffered, and decided to give himself to the ML. The novel even acknowledges Stockholm's syndrome at one point. So if you expect fluffy romance, or go in thinking they're like how the fandom portrays them, you will be disappointed.

Outside of the main relationship, the novel feels as though there is never a break. You can never catch your breath, and the moment you think you can relax you are thrown into another big arc. The beginning of the novel starts amazing. It shows a lot of promise but when
Spoiler

the ML gets thrown into the abyss

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it goes downhill fast.

The characters do not feel consistent at times. The MC starts out the novel very smart and wise, but as the novel goes on he seems to get dumber and dumber. The ML after
Spoiler

the return from the abyss

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has the personality of a brick. And his personality remains stagnant. The girl characters seemed very interesting as well, but didn't get many moments to shine.

I gave two stars because the beginning started really good, and for the deep realm extra. That extra seemed to have developed the relationship more than the entirety of the novel.

I wish the main pair had more time alone with each other and actually communicated (God don't even get me on the painful miscommunication throughout the novel!) One simple talk would've drastically changed the relationship, but it doesn't happen. The relationship has no romance as it's base. Instead the foundation is only obsession and s*x. I had to read a bunch of fanfics and look at fluffy fanart to make me like the pair even slightly.

So if what I listed sounds up your alley, more power to you. But I suggest reading it not as a romance story, but rather as a cultivation story as a whole.
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Attica
Attica rated it
June 17, 2018
Status: Completed
Reading the s*um Villain's Self-Saving System is a ticket onto a true rollercoaster of emotions: heartwarming fluff, depressing angst, and of course lots and lots of laugh-out-loud humor. Like any good parody, it simultaneously makes fun of common tropes while also triumphantly embracing those very same tropes.

1) Story

The s*um Villain's Self-Saving System is predominantly a parody of the infamous power/revenge/harem fantasy genre of books, nicknamed "Stallion novels". You know, the whole "OP Protagonist is tormented and ab*sed as a child, then gains a sudden boost in magical power which he... more>> uses to exact merciless revenge on his old tormentors--while also amassing a giant harem of beautiful ladies."

In fact, the protagonist of s*um Villain is a reader who detests one such particularly poorly written Stallion novel (starring the male protagonist Luo Binghe (LBH)). This reader's hatred of the novel is so great that when he dies, he gets transmigrated into that very same story. Unfortunately, he happens to be given the role of Shen Qingqiu (SQQ) --the "s*um villain who tormented the child protagonist and cast him into hell, and was later brutally tortured and mu*dered by the grown-up protagonist."

As you can expect, our main character, the newly reincarnated SQQ, is very eager not to get brutally tortured and mu*dered like the original SQQ was in canon. He also has all his knowledge of the original book's plot to help him survive (and poke fun at the cliches). Unfortunately, he cannot act freely. His transmigration comes with a "System" which forces him to act in character and maintain at least some of the canon storyline--including the crucial turning point where SQQ traitorously casts LBH into the equivalent of hell.

The result is a perfect recipe for both hilarity and angst (though mostly hilarity). The story is vaguely split into a fluffy beginning (where SQQ serves as a Tsundere teacher to the adorable teenager LBH) vs. a second half that's both humorous and sad (where SQQ navigates a complicated/uncertain relationship with the powered-up LBH who returned from hell).

On a more general level, s*um Villain's Self-Saving System creates a vibrant high fantasy setting while parodying it at the same time. The use of magic and demons follows the usual tropes, but having SQQ giving silent audience commentary makes everything feel fresh all over again. SQQ successfully fills in many of the original story's plot holes along the way :P

Overall, "s*um Villain's Self-Saving System", is a cohesive and beautifully written story that uses even the smallest of details. Of course it's not absolutely perfect. I'd say the 2nd half of the plot has quite a bit of angst resulting from miscommunication, and the pacing can sometimes move at a breakneck speed. However, I personally find these to contribute to the story's uniqueness, as opposed to detracting from it. (ex: The miscommunications in question actually made sense in-character. The story definitely does not drag.)

2) Characters

I think it's fair to say I love every single character in the s*um Villain's Self-Saving System. It's funny because the original novel's characters were almost entirely 1-Dimensional, but the world of SQQ's revised story truly feels alive.

First, let's look at our main character Shen Qingqiu. I find his character to be super interesting for a MC. He manages to put on a "calm, smooth, badass" appearance, but we as an audience can see his inner monologues where he is always secretly freaking the hell out, swearing at novel cliches, and smashing the fourth wall. SQQ is a rare protagonist who falls under the "stoic sagely mentor" character archetype but hilariously subverts it at the same time. (Makes you wonder what all the other stoic sagely mentor characters in other works of fiction were always thinking beneath the surface...)

On one hand, SQQ shows himself to be incredibly intelligent, driven, kind, wise, powerful, clear-headed, and easygoing. On the other hand, he has clear flaws that naturally stem from those very qualities! His stoicism successfully hides his inner freak-outs, but also prevents other characters from seeing his true thoughts/feelings. His biggest strength (using the plot of the original Stallion novel to his advantage) also becomes his biggest weakness (thinking the living people around him are still the stereotypical characters they were in the original novel). And yes, it is extremely fulfilling and satisfying when he realizes and overcomes those flaws <3

SQQ is probably the first Isekai protagonist I've ever loved, and I adore his character. (... legit the only thing keeping me from cosplaying him is how he doesn't have an official design yet)

Now onto the other main character--the male lead of the original novel, Luo Binghe. LBH is a really fun character, with two obvious faces: the "innocent hard-working lamb disciple with a maiden's glass heart", and the post-hell "ruthless overpowered genius demon lord out for revenge". But instead of how you'd expect these two faces to contradict each other, they actually co-exist perfectly!! Given the unique way these two sides interact with other characters, every scene with LBH is a joy to read. (Interestingly enough, he technically falls under the trope of Male Yandere. But when reading the novel I never once thought of him as a tropey character, simply because his thoughts and emotions were written so naturally.)

As you can tell, I love both main characters. But the supporting cast also has its share of wonderfully 3-Dimensional people, each with their own badass/touching/heartbreaking/funny moments. My favorite side characters are probably Liu Qingge and Yue Qingyuan. Liu Qingge is absolutely hilarious as the unfortunate straight man to the SQQ/LBH chaos, while Yue Qingyuan is the warm big brother figure with hidden depths.

There's not a single person I can truly hate in this story, even the original "s*um villain" SQQ or the spoilery Big Bad. All in all, I honestly have absolutely no complaints about any of the characters. Oh wait, I guess I do have one complaint--I wish the story was longer so we could get more time with all the characters :P

3) Overall Enjoyment

This is of course entirely subjective. But from my personal perspective... reading the s*um Villain's Self-Saving System was the most fun I've had in a long while. It had the perfect blend between drama, fluff, and humor (which I find pretty impressive since the original author seemed like he had a fetish for tragic backstories LOL). It never takes itself too seriously and has a great time poking fun at high fantasy popcorn novels, but it's also not afraid to tell an earnest story that delves into realistic human emotions and situations.

[Miscellaneous Comments: Since the author of s*um Villain also wrote Mo Dao Zu Shi / Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, a comparison is inevitable. I do love both works, especially how each fulfills its own unique niche! I will say that on a subjective level, I find s*um Villain more enjoyable to read. Its humor and fluff is relaxing/easy to digest and pretty much everyone gets a happy ending, while MDZS sometimes ventures into depressing/horror/tragedy territory. Though that's just my personal preference for comedy/optimism showing :P

Also of note, the BL romance in s*um Villain's Self-Saving System is relatively downplayed. While the interaction/relationship between Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu forms the absolute core of the novel, it only become a reciprocated romance near the end. Poor Luo Binghe has most of the feelings, while SQQ is completely oblivious for over half the story. I definitely did not mind this though, and found it felt quite natural.] <<less
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desnichts
desnichts rated it
August 7, 2019
Status: Completed
tl;dr: 2 stars for the side characters, 0 stars for the main couple. The summary is a good representation of what you're going to get, so if it sounded like something you might be interested in, go for it. If you want the same kind of funny, intriguing, and emotional world, but without the insane yandere male lead and the cliche "I transmigrated into the villain but why did it turn out like this?!?!?!" main character, go read Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. Lan Wanji is infinitely a better love interest... more>> than Luo Binghe.

The s*um Villain's Self-Saving System is a great story. The world is a wonderful blend of funny, intriguing, and emotional. I mean, it's a novel about some poor modern dude transmigrating into the worst villain who has a horrific end, and has to somehow survive the plot. The main character's internal monologue is hilarious.

However, there's a major crux to this novel, and its the male lead himself. Yes, he's complex, unique, and brings to the table a greatly comedic dynamic. But he's also one of the most unlikable love interests I've ever seen, and chances are, you probably want to read this for the romantic potential. Fellas, if you aren't into an insane yandere for a male lead, do a hard pass on this, because that's exactly what the love interest is. He's not good male lead material, but the author wants you to think he is. In reality, he's just another psycho protagonist in another Chinese fantasy novel, which is neither compelling or cute for a romance.

The main character is hilarious, but there's nothing incredibly special about him. He's just your typical protagonist who got transmigrated into a very unfortunate set of circumstances and has to find a way to survive while internally screaming. In fact, I find him pretty useless because he touts all this stuff about why the original Shen Qingqiu is horrible, but honestly, he's pretty terrible too. Sure, the main character doesn't outright ab*se the male lead like the original Shen Qingqiu did, but amazingly, the main character basically just raises the male lead into just as insane as the original Luo Binghe by essentially neglecting the male lead in other ways.

But I love the world this novel takes place in because the side characters are interesting and have so much potential. The original Shen Qingqiu and the original Luo Binghe are horrible people, but the difference between them and the male lead is that the author doesn't try to sell the original characters as good people. You know they're morally deficit from the very start. They don't get any excuses for their behavior. Unfortunately, they all get swept aside for the dream team of insane yandere waifu material and cool on the outside, screaming forever on the inside.

Spoiler

The original Shen Qingqiu is especially compelling because of his tragic backstory. He's a victim of the circumstances he was raised in, and a classic case of wrong place, wrong time. Honestly, I would have loved if the original Shen Qingqiu wasn't treated as some irredeemable villain and immediately offed to make way for the main character. It feels especially cheap when everyone just accepts that Shen Qingqiu magically became a better person overnight so we can just forget what the original Shen Qingqiu was like.

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2 stars for the side characters, 0 stars for the main couple. <<less
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idlehands
idlehands rated it
September 16, 2019
Status: Completed
Oh god, how do I start with this one... you can probably guess that I'm not a fan of this novel, not only due to my personal taste, but because there is so much wrong with it, yet it seems to be a Danmei fan favourite.

Please bear with me.

The story isn't unique, it's your typical "villain transmigration" story that tries to be funny, I read quite a few of those and in comparison, this one is rather mediocre, both the setting and execution – some did it better and some... more>> worse.

I didn't notice any inconsistencies, just some not quite smoothly done changes in the stories logic.

Spoiler

The OOC mechanic is wonky, there is no real explanation why it's acceptable to act completely different from the original character, the switch is very sudden, he just needs to reach a certain point in the story before being given complete independence. There was no transition, he goes from in character to out of character in one sentence, for me it seemed like lazy writing, the author either didn't know how to make it smoother, maybe didn't think it through enough, or simply didn't care.

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Apart from this, the core execution was fine.

Next point, the characters. Although I wasn't a big fan of the MC, he wasn't too annoying, his personality was rather consistent throughout the story, the author tried to make him likeable and some readers might think he is, for me he's very generic, overall there's nothing objectively wrong with him, although the characterisation isn't remarkable, he wasn't too one-dimensional.

Side characters are all forgettable, apart from one or two, I didn't even remember their names due to a lack of personality and significance, they were all reduced to one stereotype/characteristic, felt flat and unreal. When used right this can add to the comedic value, sadly it didn't, it was strangely out of place or had no impact at all, the characters just seem badly crafted.

The love interest, Luo Binghe... to be honest, borders on being absolutely insane to the point that he should be locked away for everyone's safety. He isn't a good ML, not even a good character, the display of his characteristics is unbalanced, switches constantly, sometimes out of the blue, to me it felt like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde without the nuances, they were used as a shallow plot device without sense or reason. Granted, he is a "Yandere", even for that he was just plain bad, not the type of violent romantically obsessed person, but crazy with no substance.

Spoiler

I'm not a fan of "this character turned evil because of ab*se", it's the most uninspired and laziest way to justify their actions, there is no depth to it, combined with him deciding that the ab*se he faced was for his own good, a sign of love, before switching to absolute hate in the next moment, shows a lack of psychological understanding, which could have been prevented by reading basic information that you can find online in 5 minutes. An adult's or young adult's psyche doesn't work like this, it could have been used, questionably but could have, if he was a child – but he isn't. As soon as an author includes aspects of psychology, they should make sure that what they portray is realistic, especially when it's so easy to research. This might be a minor thing for some readers, for me it's negligence.

[collapse]

Romance. I feel reluctant to call it that, it's downright disturbing and has nothing to do with love, I'm shocked that it was treated like it's normal even after the MC kind of acknowledged that some aspects are immensely messed up – they were swept under a rug and never brought up again.

Spoiler

This brings me back to Luo Binghe, he doesn't love Shen Qingqiu, he's obsessed with him, going so far as to sleep with his corpse. Yes, he sleeps with his corpse even weeks after he died.

[collapse]

I read a lot of questionable stories, I could accept even this kind of "questionable" if handled in the right way, sadly it wasn't. The MC was shocked for a moment, then never really thought about it again, neither did other characters, it's not only in poor taste but crosses a line that should never be crossed; an obsession of this magnitude is nowhere near love, it's madness. The s*x isn't better, the first time was so bloody that the MC could have died from injuries, it was totally forgotten after a simple apology, they even had s*x again later in the story.

I've seen people who justify this with "it's dark comedy", to which I have to say – no it isn't. There are rules for comedy, rules for black and dark jokes, if there's nothing they make fun of, then it doesn't qualify as a joke. I wouldn't be so hard on the Yandere-type of love if the author would have handled it like most do, with a clear distinction between this and real romance, the problem is, this author didn't. She herself categorised it as romance, therefore it's not part of the comedy aspects (not like that would have been better, like I already said, it doesn't qualify as a joke).

"Yandere" is not the problem, the term is used for a wide spectrum of overly obsessive/possessive characters in love, violent and insane Yandere combined with "romance" is the problem.

I want to compare this to a well-known work, "Killing Stalking", that features a Yandere – the artist stated several times that her work isn't a romance but a thriller. If Mò Xiāng Tóngxiù had done the same, then I could have spared myself the hassle to write about this in length.

Now that we have come this far, I personally wouldn't recommend this to anyone, simply because I think it's one of the worst Danmei I read and doesn't deserve even one star, but, for the sake of objectivity, I'll give you some points that might appeal to you.

It's an easy read with little substance, good to wind down after work or on a bad day, whenever your brain needs to rest and all you want is to kill some time.

Apart from one or two instances, nothing really bad happens, violence is minor, no one dies, the story has a happy end.

Comedy is very subjective, the type used here isn't specific to China or Asian, it seemed quite American-TV-show like, not complex or political, it's not for me but I can see that a good portion of people might like it.

So, my final verdict, two stars because it was the authors first work, I don't expect a newcomer to write a masterpiece, and looking at her recent works, it's clear that she greatly improved, I would feel bad if I judge someone who needed to get the hang of it too harshly. <<less
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airynn
airynn rated it
June 28, 2020
Status: Completed
Synopsis: The MC hates this crappy harem stallion novel so much that he transmigrates into the body of the novel's main antagonist. Attempts to appease the ML to avoid the OG villains tragic death at the hands of the ML ensues~ Sound interesting, yeah, unfortunately the main pairing invokes zero chemistry and is extremely unhealthy which torpedoes the overall enjoyment of the story.

MC: the saving grace that helped me finish the novel along with my unfounded hope that the main pair would develop some chemistry... Maintains a cool outer appearance... more>> but is constantly fighting with the troll system internally while wanting to pet the ML's head so he doesn't end up dying a painful death. Acts as comedic relief and sadly makes a lot of illogical decisions under the prompting of the system. A huge gripe is that he views everything like he's an outsider to a set storyline and never gets attached to any of the characters, even the ML aside from trying to stay alive. He mainly makes observations and doesn't sympathize with anyone, including the OG SQQ, treating everyone like a cannonfodder NPC.

Spoiler

Still sad Yue Qingyuan's storyline had 0 development even after the reveal of a truly compelling backstory between YQ and SQQ. Post-reveal SQQ was just all, don't talk to me, I ain't him anymore. Such wasted potential. #JusticeforYQ

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ML: the disciple of the MC who due to being treated "poorly" by the MC turns into a blackened protagonist. Honestly, though he starts off as a lotus like character and then blackens he somehow still manages to come off as extremely one-dimensional. Has many moments of being aggravating (ie. "why don't you notice me senpai, I totally don't believe in your love for me though you keep jumping in front of harms way to protect me" scenarios). Do you see what I mean about aggravating...

Spoiler

MC literally dies for or directly because of the ML 3 times. Can I slap the ML with my slipper?? Oh wait, I can't because he's the golden protag *eye roll*.

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Pairing: Extreme Dubious Consent. The MC permits his relationship with the ML because he's the golden protagonist and cannot be refused. MC never shows any signs of attraction towards the ML in all 81 chapters and only has moments of doting on him like a shifu. The s*x scene was extremely dubious and painful for me (and the MC :' () to read. It wasn't even written in a sexy forceful way but instead in an, "omg he's semi-conscious" way. Seems like no one gets any good s*x sans blood in this novel...

Spoiler

The MC literally only had s*x with the ML since there was no other way to calm the ML's anger/crazed state and prevent him from self destructing and destroying the sects...

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The MC continuously makes concessions to the ML for the sake of the system and his LIFE in case the ML gets any urges to kill him. ML takes his affection and grows a really bizarre obsessive love over MC

Spoiler

ML forces MC to drink his demon blood (TWICE, even when revived into a new body MC can't escape the cray) so he can inflict pain on him whenever the MC disagrees with him. ML even cuddles with the MC's corpse (!!) body-pillow style when MC "dies". And somehow when MC sees this, the next minute he's just like, "oh he's suffered a lot". Like bro, RUN. The creep factor has exceeded 100.

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I know that this novel has many fans that flowed through from fans of FOD. I had high hopes and I honestly love the setting and side storylines have alot of potential but the ML... It hit the point of painful to read after the blackening of the ML and though I continued for the setting and humorous troll system I ended up wondering why I wasted my time at the end of the novel. But no need to take my word for it, go forth and see if the hype was worth it in your eyes. Edit TL;DR: BTW the translation quality was A+, the relationship not so much. <<less
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Gav
Gav rated it
May 15, 2017
Status: v1c4
Currently having fun reading this, the main character amuses me very much and the ability to comment on this is pretty much the entire reason I joined the forum in the first place.

I am very intrigued by the spoiler thread for this too. *___*
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agathe
agathe rated it
April 14, 2020
Status: Completed
if I had to sum that up, i’d say this book is to Chinese fantasy novel what « scream« is to horror movies

Scream takes the rule of a crappy movie genre, to make the same movie

this book does the same, except the stallion novel will become bl - but the plot holes, the abnormal behaviors, lack of any kind described as the flaws of the original novels, are no better in the new one.

So yes, the character will fill the bad parts of the novel he read... but that will... more>> never makes up for all what is lacking in the story I’m reading

for a starter, it was a bit interesting that the MC was not the only transmigrated person : but -plot hole - the interactions with that other character - are next to none, and instead of adding to the plot, it’s mostly noise (filler - it brings nothing)
Spoiler

The other one being the writer of the universe, you had quite some possibilities for nice interactions - but no, the MC is self centered and so is the plot

[collapse]

theres a lot of filler text, whith monologues that are somewhat repetitive, and you’d expect that a live person would forget more about the book, as years go on, because his life and interactions are what his reality has became : it’ our transmigrated character lives with an ab*se child for years, but still can’t realize that he’s a person, and keep rejecting him for the sake of a very bad plot, from his own description - it’s bad but he still abide, not caring one bit about the hurt he gives. His own behavior barely make sense -

when it comes to the ml, it’s even worse, the more quircky and bizarre he gets, the less the whole things make sense. Gone the hero, welcome the psycho, a not the worse version, but, it simply is unbelievable

the relationship between the characters is the worse - all along - because the MC is living in a world of dream (book), his behavior is selfserving and his sincerity always a question -

in the end, he’s also absolutely straight - not just a little bit, and he’s never « in love » with the ml

the world is a bit absurd as promised, (cultivators are strong and weak) but at least the original story had a stallion as promised - now that’s supposedly a BL : but where is the love ?

Spoiler

the lover relationship between the two starts as the obsession of one and the self sacrifice that can also be read as repayment for his hypocritical care.

it feels like pity and duty, not love

The ML has to totally break down and go crazy for the MC to realize how much his half assed everything did hurt the ab*sed boy he pitied so much -

the former hero ends up being a « cry baby with a maiden heart » (sexism please) begging for the attention of the indifferent spectator that his master is : he’s really desperately pitiful, even if when it works !

the intimacy is the worse - it start with consensual r*pe (seriously gruesome !) and goes to enduring the appetite of the other - with pain and no satisfaction - both are described as physically incompatible (!!! Why bother writing about that !)

the « maiden with a heart of glass » has a huge member that is « too big for the small bu*t of the MC » (who doesn’t in these novels), but despite offering the very straight MC to reverse (yes !) position, it’s a no - (why ??!)

they are immortal cultivators, but s*x is too exhausting and it’s damaging the body (yes go rocket launcher !)

so there you go for the ridiculous and pompous ab*se of imaginary « gay » couple, where one his husband, the over is « wife » that of course hate or endure s*x for the sake of the other...

« bored double M » should have been the title Of this book

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<<less
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Chelsea-__-
Chelsea-__- rated it
October 11, 2019
Status: c70
The comment made by 'idlehands' previously has worded my thoughts out exactly but in addition.

... more>>
Spoiler

Initially, when I started reading I was smitten by the ML and the MC's interaction. Until the first time, Binghe choked the MC and had him drink his blood. I wasn't okay after that part.

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I read a lot of comments under the novel sympathizing with Binghe and calling the MC dense, blaming him for how Binghe grew up to be.

In defense of Shen Yuan, he was merrily playing his part as the antagonist, I admit dense is an understatement but it's realistic that he went about with the plot and didn't just come to the conclusion that Binghe may have obsessive feelings for him, considering he claimed to be straight.

As for Binghe, he's not okay. He is this emotionally immature kid with a traumatic childhood that grew up to overly obsess over his teacher who showered a little affection towards him. That, mind you is not okay.

Spoiler

As I proceeded to read in hopes that maybe something would change my mind over this toxic relationship it grew worse. For someone who's a crybaby, he sure does play with Shen Yuan pretending like he didn't know he was in his dream. Getting the MC to sympathize with him. I despise such emotional manipulation.

Further, the ML proceeded to kiss the MC without consent, and can we just talk about the r*pe. I've also read so many comments stating how it's not r*pe. As for that, please educate yourself on what's r*pe and what isn't, forcing yourself on someone and getting their clothes off and so on. I stopped after chapter 70. I can't comment on the other smut scenes because I haven't read them but judging from other's comment I can safely assume it wasn't anything like 'making love'.

[collapse]

I just want to say that this isn't love. You don't ab*se the people you love just because you're angry, using childhood trauma to explain your actions isn't justified, for all I can say is that Binghe is extremely immature. I would prefer him receiving mental health treatment and sorting himself out instead of getting into a relationship with Shen Yuan. This being one of the most toxic, unhealthy and inconsiderate relationships I have ever read about.

Before reading this book I indulged myself into looking at the pair's fan art and videos and I was so much in love with them but after reading how this grew to be like, I was so heartbroken because I cannot get myself to normalize, romanticize or ignore such toxic behavior and pretend that the MC and ML have a loving flowery bond.

I was aware that there was going to be angst but such overly unnecessary angst.

Two stars for the translation, young Luo Binghe, and the effort put into this novel. <<less
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solomaize
solomaize rated it
May 22, 2017
Status: c8
Only 8 chapters in, but this story is lit! The releases are a little slow, but it is worth the wait.

The BL tag grab my interest, but the humor sealed it. So far I'm okay with the MC. He got transmigrated into this novel that he hates as one of the villain. He is tasked by an editor-like system to improve the novel while not breaking character. If he does something OOC, he gets penalised by the system.

Fearing for his life and limbs, he is trying his bumbling best to... more>> find loopholes in the system so he can avoid the bad ending (like really bad). Anyway, I can't wait for the story to progress more. Especially to see the relationship progress with the ML.

Translator is doing a great job, I love the footnotes, lengthy as it may be, so jiayou!! <<less
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BitterSweetTea
BitterSweetTea rated it
May 30, 2017
Status: v1c6
One of the best BL novels I've read in terms of comedy and plot progression. The MC is hilarious, the ML is such an adorable bun and the side characters are all vivid in their characterizations. I've kept rereading all of the six translated chapters and yet I couldn't get enough of them!
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Ritu
Ritu rated it
May 22, 2017
Status: Completed
Complete and utter crack... The plot is something you might have seen before, the normal human hating the plot of a novel transmigrates into the the novel as villain. In most of the novels the MC strives to change himself and not be like the villain. Now the plot twist in this novel is that he is not allowed to act ooc. If he acts too much ooc then he can die. This plot twist has lead to many interesting situations. Very funny characters till now.

Edit. I admittedly dropped... more>> the novel in between because of slow updates but I picked it back up again and completed it in one go. It's such a gorgeous novel I am speechless.

Someone reviews saying they were confused that the MC forgot his goal of going back to original world ? And no that was not his goal at all. His original body is dead hence is why he is trying so hard to survive here. <<less
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hejikkk
hejikkk rated it
June 6, 2020
Status: Completed
uuhhhhhhhh not sure if its cause I read this right after mdzs and was therefore set with extremely high expectations but I really didn't enjoy this novel. The beginning was okay I guess. It's pretty funny and the system notifications make the story amusing. But just the humor (which gets kind of repetitive after a while) doesn't make up for its poor plot and dumb (sorry) characters.

First of all I really hate the relationship between the MC and ML. The ML is just pure obsessive and kinda a psycho. I... more>> just can't bring myself to like him. As for the MC, he's just your average oh my god ive transmigrated gotta kiss up so I dont die kinda guy. I don't get how the relationship between them ends in love tbh.

The other characters besides the MC and ML are just plain flat. They have virtually no personalities whatsoever.

I ended up just skimming through the final 20 or so chapters cause I really couldn't continue anymore. <<less
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rakuu-en
rakuu-en rated it
September 24, 2018
Status: Completed
I loved this so much after devouring all the English translated chapters available I braved the rest of it with my banana chinese. AND I FINISHED IT.

This novel. Is hilarious. Plotwise it is fairly intriguing by itself, if a bit simple; it doesn't compare to the hair-raising plot twists in Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, for example (yes, comparison is inevitable, I suppose), but neither is it glaringly cringey or gaping with loopholes, and it does its job of moving the story and the relationship between the two main characters along.

THE... more>> CHARACTERS. SQQ continually breaks barriers in breaking the fourth wall. The way he does so is just REVOLUTIONARY. He scathingly deconstructs the harem novel cliches of the original book. He scathingly deconstructs the new BL cliches that he is CURRENTLY LIVING OUT. Every time he encounters a character that fits your typical harem wuxia novel role, he scathingly deconstructs every single one. Hell, he doesn't spare HIMSELF when it comes to his immense skepticism. Whatever cliche scenario he's about to land himself into next, you can bet your bottom dollar he's ready to say something hilarious yet scarily incisive about it. I laughed out loud multiple times while reading this book, and thinking back on some of the scenes still makes me smile uncontrollably. LBH just... subverts all the normal cliches associated with the protagonists of such novels, by attracting an alarmingly dwindling number of girls (as commented on by SQQ), by being attracted to approximately none of them, and being a complete failure in building a harem (as commented on by SQQ), and by being, in essence, a Crybaby with a glass heart who hangs on to SQQ's every word (as commented on by SQQ. a lot. SQQ is savage in this novel, and we love him all the more for it.)

Is the romance in this novel ideal? No. SQQ spends a good bit of it being oblivious, which is hilarious, but I didn't really see how his initial horror at discovering LBH's true feelings morphed into genuine affection, when all LBH did was
Spoiler

kiss him several times against his will, lock him in a house against his will, and apparently sleep (or more?!) with his corpse for the 5 years he was presumed dead..... against his will

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That being said, the two have their cute moments and I did find myself rooting for these two deeply flawed characters in the end. I'm also glad the novel maintained its hilarity from start to finish- I would read this just for the laughs alone. If you're in need of some laughter in your life, this really is the book for you. <<less
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nyerus
nyerus rated it
April 22, 2020
Status: Completed
First things first, I wanted to give this a 4.5 but alas, NU doesn’t let me do that. ;__; So we’ll just roll with the 4, though s*um Villain deserves better!

SV is a parody of popular male-oriented harem novels. It’s also a commentary on the nature of commercial fiction which criticizes both authors and readers alike. This is what sets it apart from a lot of novels with a similar premise. It also asks the reader to be willing and able to read between the lines and pick up on... more>> subtleties that are not blatantly explained. But it rewards you for the effort by delivering an unconventionally satisfying story and relationship like nothing you’ve read before.

As for the plot in a nutshell: Shen Yuan (MC) transmigrates into the novel Proud Immortal Demon Way. Once a fan, he hated the unsatisfying ending. Shortly after finishing it, he dies suddenly and is transmigrated into the work by the unexplainable “System, ” which binds him to the role of the titular s*um villain: Shen Qingqiu. The original was an abusive master to his disciple Luo Binghe (ML), who eventually blackened, and came back for revenge. This new Shen Qingqiu resolves to simply not be abusive, and is instead a compassionate shizun to Luo Binghe. Naturally, Luo Binghe takes a shine to him. Even after a series of misfortunes and misunderstandings, a half-blackened Luo Binghe still wants the praise and acceptance of his shizun—and maybe something more.

Shen Qingqiu is a brilliant main character for this type of narrative. What he says is equally as important as what he doesn’t say. He’s an unreliable narrator, and not only serves as our witty and clever guide to the world, but our lens into the psyche of a fan turned critic. But given the power to change a one-dimensional story, he does. He turns it from a generic yet over-the-top male wish fulfilment fantasy into a living, breathing world with characters who are complex and multi-faceted. In turn, he stops looking at the world like he’s a player in a game, and instead like his home. The characters aren’t just characters, they’re people. Much like in our world, everyone has a story. From the supposedly one-dimensional original s*um villain to, to the equally one-dimensional protagonist of PIDW.

Which brings me to the said “protagonist, ” aka the love interest, Luo Binghe. He’s an atypical love interest for sure. On the surface, he’s easy to write off as obsessive or downright yandere, but the point that the novel makes is that he isn’t. What he wants more than anything, is answers to why things had to go the way they did. He only wants to be accepted for who he is—demon and all—by Shen Qingqiu, who is the one person that Luo Binghe believes genuinely loved him. He wants, at least just once, for Shen Qingqiu to choose him. At the same time, Luo Binghe is wickedly clever—willing to play crybaby in order to get what he really wants, which is generally kisses and praise from his shizun. And while Shen Qingqiu pretends to be exasperated by this, truth is that he’s hopelessly charmed (and he’s just a big tsundere) ~

Along the way, Shen Qingqiu realizes that he has genuine feelings for Luo Binghe. They have a lot of miscommunication between them, for sure, but it’s all believable. Shen Qingqiu is acting on prior knowledge of the original book, making assumptions that Luo Binghe is out to kill him, and acting out of sheer self-preservation. But this prior knowledge serves to be less of a superpower, and more of his weakness. Eventually, he realizes that while avoiding the grievous sins of the original Shen Qingqiu, he also has made many mistakes and deeply hurt Luo Binghe himself--just in a different way. It’s not until Shen Qingqiu puts aside his preconceived notions and listens to Luo Binghe, and seeks to make up for that, that they are able to move forward together.

And furthermore, that’s when things really start to become apparent. Gone is the nonsensical wish-fulfilment plot, replaced by a fleshed-out world filled with complicated characters, because humans (and their relationships with each other) are complicated. Nothing is the same as it was—it’s different, it’s better. And in the process, Shen Qingqiu realizes he’s made the story into something much more aligned with something he would have liked to read all along. Better yet, it’s a story that the original author would have wanted to write, but had been afraid and unable to due to pressure to sell copies. Now free from those constraints, the world is something more satisfying, yet messy and complex—because that’s just reality. And the best fiction has always been a reflection of reality.

s*um VillIan is absolutely worth a read, and it ended up exceeding all my expectations. From Shen Qingqiu’s hilarious inner monologue and constant memes, to the heart-wrenching pleads of Luo Binghe, you’ll be entertained for sure. Watching the two of them understand their shortcomings, and witnessing them grow from their mistakes is deeply satisfying. The only reason I couldn’t give it a perfect 5/5 was because there are some plot holes left unresolved, and the pacing is a little inconsistent at times. But as I said in the beginning, it really is more of a 4.5 than anything. Give it a try. You won’t be disappointed. <<less
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srrrahim
srrrahim rated it
December 13, 2017
Status: Completed
I am not a fan of BL stories, but this one looks interesting

AND IT IS. I am totally hooked (I even went as far as reading raw using MTL that gives me brain cancer, but I don`t regret it (●≧ω≦) 9)

The system love to troll the MC, and the plot is really good. The comedy is the one that cheer me up to keep reading it. And the romance and misunderstanding give me shivers

... more>>
Spoiler

The ML hug The MC dead body for 5 years. Creepy!. I am not a fan of Yandere, but The ML puppy love towards The MC really cute and I can`t really hate him. I love him even more ƪ (♥ﻬ♥) ʃ

The Original Shen Qingqiu has a really sad past *damn ninjas cutting onions! (ಥ﹏ಥ)


I cry a bucket of tears when I thought his elder brother had died. The original Shen Qingqiu thought that his elder brother is abondoning him, but he didn`t. And because of that, his elder brother is so loyal towards him (I won`t spoiler who he is, but you can totally guess it ?)
[collapse]

Just read it. You won`t regret ?? <<less
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Jass
Jass rated it
February 17, 2018
Status: --
I'd say this is one of the few romance BL novels that is fluffy and comedic enough to have male readers find some charm in this novel. Mainly because this sh*t is not just a romance, but also a gigantic parody of xuanhuan harem novels. Plus it's under 100 chapters which means they won't play out this comedy too much to get stale, and the fillers are practically non-existent as well.

In addition, the protagonist and male lead have something that I believe makes it stand out from the other chinese... more>> BL I've read - the subversion of the "seme/uke" or "gong/shou" trope. The MC is a man, and he makes it clear he's a man. He's not feminized or emotionally weakened with his developing romance with the male lead and keeps a firm grasp on his choices and freedom, condemning and portraying the ML's insane and obsessive actions when he attempts to obtain the MC's affection. This results in a much more balanced relationship dynamic between the ML and the MC. Much better than other BL that I've read.

The romance is light hearted and built up on a hilarious amount of misunderstandings. Yes, there is a s*x scene, but it doesn't come until the very last chapter. You can just probably just skip it with the extras if you don't want any smut.

For a majority of the time the novel barely takes itself too seriously, and while it does become a lil dark, it still retains the comedy as you read on.

ML + MC pairing is very cute and believable as well, you can see how the MC starts to develop feelings for the ML. <<less
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maramel
maramel rated it
June 6, 2019
Status: Completed
Responding to the review below: "Secondly wasn´t MC´s goal to go home to his world? Seems like he just kinda forgot about it in the end and rode into sunset with his boy...." Son, did you forget? Did you even read the novel? (Hell, you don't even remember the reason why he kicked Binghe down?? The system was screaming for him to do it or else he'd lose system points = a death sentence for SQQ)

... more>>
Spoiler

MC has stated again and again: he can't go back to his original world because his original body is dead. That's why he was panicking in one of the chapters where he was about to get sent back to his original world after failing a task. Instead, he exchanged his points and opted for a punishment aka getting transported into the original Luo Binghe's universe and having his limbs cut off.

[collapse]

I've always been a fan of novels where romance isn't the main focus. s*um Villain's Self-Saving System is about an avid anti reader getting transmigrated into a villain role of a famous stallion novel. Somewhere along the way, he unknowingly managed to capture the heart of the supposedly blackened protagonist who was destined to have over 1000 wives. The running gag is that Shen Qingqiu is one dense mofo thinking that Luo Binghe is still the book's stallion novel MC but in reality, he's a crybaby maiden who really loves his shizun.

The author did a good job of balancing the comedy and the drama. At times I'd laugh real hard over Shen Qingqiu's deadpan humor and the side quips coming from the system, other times I'm nearly in tears because of the heartbreaking exchange between Luo Binghe and his shizun. This is my first MXTX novel-- I'm debating if I should read the best of the three for last (mo dao zu shi) but rest assured, I'm gonna check all of their other works out after I'm finished reading the remaining extras of this story. <<less
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Hilyantomi
Hilyantomi
August 10, 2019
Status: Completed
First of all, please consider reading the review of an username "desnichts" first.

All the 5* reviews and lower rating reviews show a very contradictory view of readers. The 5* mentioned the bright side of the story which is delightful enough for a bedtime story, while the other lower rating went deeper into the core and mostly complained either about illogical or weak development of the characters, the disgust of ML's "period" :D and the unfairness for having replaced the original cannon fodder with someone that in the end, still makes... more>> the ML into a sick psycho :/, in another way :// (The yandere tag is true, please read the extras)

This is my only critic: I find the 5* to be exaggerated, the lower raters to not be tolerated enough.

The author's first and second works are obviously a comedy fish in a sea of tragedy, perfectly contrast with her recent last work "The Heaven's Official Blessing" which is a Pacific ocean of tragedy, so it is very normal to have such two different impressions to the readers.

The novel's plot itself is nothing special but the author has never been known for her plot.

P.S @desnichts nothing offended but I don't really agree when you mention that Lan Wanji is a better love interest than Luo Binghe. They are different in characters, the way how they were raised is also different and how they asked for love is obviously different. <<less
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sash123
sash123 rated it
January 14, 2024
Status: Completed
TL;DR: A deeply flawed, yet misunderstood Freudian farce that deconstructs male power fantasies. The kombucha of danmei webnovels.

I've been lied to. Really, I've been bamboozled.

Based on NU reviews and my friends' verdicts, I was led to believe that "s*um Villain's Self-Saving System" is a mediocre xianxia romantic comedy about a vaguely problematic master-disciple relationship. While this isn't technically wrong, it also doesn't even begin to describe this clusterf*ck of a novel.

SVSSS is a story that gives me a headache because it won't commit to being bad. The result is: despite... more>> being impossible to recommend to anyone in good faith, I don't regret reading it at all. Here's why.

What is SVSSS about?

One day, a terminally online NEET named Shen Yuan grows so incensed by the terrible conclusion of a stallion (i.e. revenge p*rn/harem) webnovel he's been hatereading, that he dies and transmigrates into a major villain of said story. As it turns out, Shen Yuan has been tasked by a nigh-omnipotent "system" to fix the original novel by filling in plot holes on behalf of the author.

The s*um villain Shen Qingqiu, as Shen Yuan will be referred to from now on, was originally the cruel, aloof teacher of Luo Binghe, the stallion novel's protagonist. Due to the ab*se he experienced at the hands of Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe (initially a bright-eyed, affectionate teenager) turned merciless and vengeful, eventually capturing his former teacher and torturing him to death. The new Shen Qingqiu's primary goal is to avoid that fate by treating Luo Binghe with kindness, seeing as he transmigrated to a point where Luo Binghe is still his disciple and hasn't grown jaded yet.

Despite his best attempts at playing the doting teacher, there comes the day when Shen Qingqiu is forced by the system to betray and abandon Luo Binghe like in the original novel. The remainder of SVSSS grapples with the consequences of this event: Shen Qingqiu spends a lot of time on the run because he fears Luo Binghe's retaliation, while simultaneously trying to protect his "poor child" in rather misguided, patronizing ways. Meanwhile, the now adult Luo Binghe, who has been harboring a crush on his teacher all along, tries to make sense of Shen Qingqiu's mixed signals, while contending with his own rage, abandonment issues, and self-loathing.

Needless to say, there is a "happy" end and everything gets sorted out. Kind of.

What is SVSSS really about?

This is all fine and well and mostly lines up with what everyone else is saying, so let me address the elephant in the room: Shen Qingqiu isn't only Luo Binghe's darling shizun, he's also quite explicitly a parental figure to him. And though it's true that this is technically a teacher-student relationship, the psychos*xual reality of it is more aptly described as, well, I'd call it oedipal.

What I mean is that Luo Binghe has some crazy mommy issues that he's projecting onto Shen Qingqiu, and no, I don't mean daddy issues, I really do mean mommy issues. Abandoned by his birth mother, bereft of his adoptive mother after her death, what Luo Binghe really yearns for is to never be left behind again - to be loved unconditionally the way only a mother can love her child.

This might sound far-fetched to you, especially if you haven't read the novel yet. But I assure you that if, off the top of my head...

Spoiler
    • your main character is linked with the goddess of mercy and compassion, traits commonly associated with motherhood and femininity
    • your main character confesses his love to the male lead by claiming he'd never have aborted him if he'd been his mother
    • your main character sacrifices his life repeatedly to save the male lead, thereby paralleling the fate of the male lead's biological mother
    • your male lead is quite literally competing with his biological father for the main character
    • an entire extra is dedicated to the male lead being turned into a child who has to be taken care of by the main character
[collapse]

... you are most definitely in the territory of Freud. Though a lot more could be said about this subject, such as Shen Qingqiu's strange fixation on, well, cucumbers and castration... I just think it's important to point out that SVSSS has some heavy psychoanalytical themes, or at the very least, it really lends itself to such a reading. In fact, I found them so blatant that I was shocked nobody addressed them here before, and I do think viewing the novel through this lens adds a layer of complexity that helps mitigate some of its weaker aspects.

So let's be clear here. This relationship isn't only weird because of the teacher-student thing, it's also weird because Luo Binghe wants to bang his new mommy. Personally, I think there are at least five more reasons why their dynamic is strange as hell, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

All of this Freudian stuff, in my opinion, is in service of a larger theme that runs through SVSSS: abandonment. Be it narrative foils, who have been abandoned/ab*sed by their respective parental figures/lovers, be it original plotlines that have been discarded by the author of the stallion novel, only to resurface due to Shen Qingqiu's interference... For all its flaws, SVSSS does explore the many ways one can abandon and be abandoned, as well as the ensuing (mostly psychological) consequences.

This is surprising, because at first glance, SVSSS is just satire. Shen Qingqiu relentlessly mocks stallion novels and its overused tropes; the shoddy worldbuilding he has to put up with is a running gag. On a slightly more sophisticated level, the harem fantasy is subverted, as the former stud extraordinaire Luo Binghe becomes strictly monogamous, while Shen Qingqiu slowly amasses a "harem" of devoted men who all feel deeply indebted to him for one reason or another.

One noteworthy way SVSSS deconstructs stallion novels is by exposing their exaggerated depictions of masculinity as harmful. It is no coincidence that Shen Qingqiu improves the original story by being kind, and similarly, it's unsurprising that Luo Binghe is at his happiest when he gets to act like a submissive wife who cleans and cooks for her man. Though he's originally the paragon of masculinity, SVSSS makes it clear that this version of Luo Binghe is effeminate, frequently described as maiden-hearted or shown to emotionally manipulate Shen Qingqiu by crying crocodile tears. And considering Shen Qingqiu, the demure "step-mother" with his overwhelming preoccupation with propriety and repression, s*xual or otherwise... we've certainly got something.

Though it isn't unusual for BL to depict men as feminine, this was the first time I've seen feminization employed as a sort of meta commentary, which I found interesting. It's also why Luo Binghe is one of the most unique and refreshing male leads I have seen in a hot minute, terrible manchild-ingenue-temptress that he is.

Here, one can make a case for SVSSS's psychoanalytical themes successfully tying into its satirical ambitions...

Spoiler

... the culmination of which is, of course, when Shen Qingqiu finally succeeds in fixing the novel, prompting the system to change its genre to... danmei.

[collapse]

I guess.

Sounds awesome. So what's wrong with SVSSS then?

Despite its thematic coherence, SVSSS is a pretty bad book in most other respects, and its prose feels distinctly amateurish. The pacing sucks, the plot progresses in whichever way is most convenient to the author and most side characters are frustratingly one-note. Strangely enough, some of them get fleshed out in the oddly poignant extras, which is why I'd highly recommend viewing them as obligatory reading. For the life of me, I have no idea why MXTX deemed the best parts of her novel, insights that completely recontextualize her story, to be bonus content. Reading this novel is a lot like drinking a thin, tasteless soup just to discover that all the meat is clinging to the bottom of the bowl right before you finish your meal. And though you are more or less satisfied by the end of it, that doesn't mean the experience itself was all that great, really, I can't stress enough how mad I was at SVSSS before I got to the extras.

It must also be said: from all those flat side characters, it's the women who consistently get the short end of the stick. I don't think SVSSS has a single well-written female character, in fact, one of my friends called this novel "the most misogynistic story I've ever read". While I've definitely seen worse, I found there to be a lot of wasted potential. Shen Qingqiu claims to have saved women from their bimbo fate by giving them the opportunity to be anything but members of Luo Binghe's megaharem. Ironically enough, they remain just as one-dimensional as before, mostly relegated to minor villians or supportive fujoshis instead.

I realize that looking for well-written women in danmei novels is a lot like wondering why there is no chicken in your can of tuna. But if you attempt to satirize stallion novels, which are notorious for their misogyny, it seems like an obvious oversight to sideline your female characters. No matter how much you criticize hypermasculinity, you will only ever be addressing half of the issue as long as you refuse to give your women interiority. Clearly, we are meant to believe that Shen Qingqiu succeeded in improving the original novel - but given the countless technical flaws that remain, I find that hard to believe.

It also doesn't help that MXTX drops the ball on the metafictional aspect entirely. The novel clumsily attempts to interrogate the difference between a real person and a character and whether it's the reader or the author who possesses interpretive authority. Unfortunately, these inquiries remain superficial and lack clarity - you can find a far superior execution of the same theme in Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.

Spoiler

The limited exploration of this theme is also why the ending of SVSSS rings hollow, when the genre change is supposed to be liberatory and triumphant. Though the characters have escaped the sad fate of living in a stallion novel, I'm not sure if living in a danmei novel is better, as that genre is plagued by just as many hackneyed cliches. To a certain extent, MXTX seems to be aware of that, poking fun at BL tropes and its fans - but these jokes remain toothless. One restrictive system is seamlessly replaced by another, only the rules of the world have changed - can you really call that a happy end?

One could argue that it's the characters' agency that resulted in those rules, rather than the other way around, and yes, the whole thing is ultimately just a tongue-in-cheek joke... but it still seems like this decision opens a new can of worms rather than tie up loose ends. Unable to commit to a fullblown danmei parody and uninterested in examining how BL relates to stallion novels, the result feels muddled and unsatisfying.

[collapse]

Which brings me to my next point.

Headache Novel

The thing is that SVSSS (and any of MXTX's other works, to be honest) is an exercise in self-indulgence, and my impression is that the author will write anything she wants, simply because she can. Make no mistake, it takes balls of steel to commit to your own vision. However, it can have odd consequences.

On the one hand, it results in these free-wheeling stories that infect you with their shameless passion, and in this case, it even seems weirdly appropriate for such a meta story to feel like a fever dream. SVSSS is really funny, and that's because it doesn't hold back. Perhaps one could even discuss how this lack of restraint relates to Shen "stick up his ass" Qingqiu's characterization.

But on the other hand, MXTX's "undisciplined" writing makes the story feel capricious. For better or for worse, the tone of the novel can flip from tragic to funny within a single paragraph, emotional scenes are undercut by bizarre bouts of "fanservice". This leaves the reader disoriented and on unsound footing. How are we meant to interpret the story if the narration is so unreliable?

Said ambivalence extends to characterization as well. Indeed, as many other reviewers have already remarked: Shen Qingqiu is an unreliable narrator, one that is dense enough to seriously challenge my suspension of disbelief (in a bad way). The big problem here is that the novel rarely gives us enough hints to figure out when he's lying. He's someone who will furiously deny being attracted to teenagers, yet spends a lot of time espousing the virtues of delicate maidens - and really, sometimes he doth protest too much, especially when it's equally clear that he finds Luo Binghe's "white lotus" performance to be irresistible. He almost consistently describes s*x with Luo Binghe as excruciating - but can we take this at face value (and we have good reason to!) or is he simply too repressed to be honest (equally likely) ? It doesn't help that we know very little about Shen Qingqiu's past and therefore barely have any context for his current behavior.

All of this is putting the reader in a difficult position: just what are we to make of his romantic relationship with Luo Binghe then?

To be clear, this isn't a case of an adult g*ooming a child, despite Shen Qingqiu's (and the overall story's) strange flirtation with this idea. It'd be more accurate to say that this kid's favorite teacher accidentally triggered his s*xual awakening. But this is further complicated by Luo Binghe being extremely emotionally unstable throughout the story, his capacity for violence, his overwhelming physical strength, and his ability to both terrorize and charm Shen Qingqiu at will. For most of the novel, it's actually Shen Qingqiu who is being chased around by The Crazy Yandere.

However, Shen Qingqiu isn't defenseless either, possessing intimate knowledge of Luo Binghe as a reader of the original stallion novel, and being the only person whose authority Luo Binghe will recognize. Shen Qingqiu actually holds an enormous amount of power over Luo Binghe, and is capable of hurting him like no other. In fact, it's not until Shen Qingqiu understands this, that the central conflict of SVSSS is resolved. This is nothing to say about the sado-masochism. We don't have the time to unpack that, this review is long enough as it is.

Now, make no mistake: even by the end of the story they still insist on carrying out their strange little teacher-student roleplay. These two have no intentions to outgrow their weird power dynamic and enter a relationship as two equals. No, their relationship has so many layered power imbalances that it somehow loops back around to being (kind of) healthy, like an elaborate system of checks and balances.

Watching them get together is a lot like observing a flaming car crash, really. It basically amounts to an undernegotiated, hardcore BD*M relationship, one that is entirely inadvisable but appears to make the people involved so happy, that one has no choice but to shrug and sigh in defeat. Though they love each other, it's difficult to call it a romance in any conventional sense. It's very much an "it is what it is" ordeal.

Their dynamic itself being ambiguous and challenging isn't the problem here - plenty of books do that. The "issue" is that MXTX insists on presenting SVSSS as a quirky romance, one that we are ostensibly meant to gush over, but then turns around and makes her characters behave in indefensible ways. This creates a strange tension between the reader's expectations for a romance novel ("adorable couple with a happy end") and the actual text ("Freudian nightmare"), one that never gets resolved properly.

So, the novel isn't only tonally dissonant, the depiction of its central relationship also flip flops between extremes to the point of bewilderment. That's where the self-indulgence comes in, right? Here we have a clearly dysfunctional couple that could easily star in a psychological thriller, a story with a s*xual assault scene that is depicted as horrifying and that somehow manages to be non-consensual-ish for both parties... that keeps getting into these zany, fanfiction-esque situations, simply because MXTX feels like it right now. It's a relationship that deals with some really heavy topics, like how childhood trauma can inform adult sexuality, and it'd be wrong to say that it was depicted thoughtlessly. But it'd be equally wrong to call it a sensitive exploration of these subjects, not with such a flippant framing... though who can say if this story would have been improved by a more somber approach.

Whether an author is morally obligated to be tactful is a different question, it's just that MXTX kind of wants to have her cake and eat it too. It's like she couldn't decide whether she wanted to write a real, yet messed up romance, or whether she wanted their love to be over the top, cartoonish and bizarre. The result is... some serious black humor, scenes where one doesn't know whether to laugh or cry, or even whether this effect was intended in the first place.

It's this incredible ambiguity on every level that caught me off-guard when I picked up this story... And to this day, I don't quite know what to make of it. I think it's why opinions on SVSSS are so divided - it's easy to categorize one way or the other ("it's obviously not meant to be taken seriously!" vs. "this downplays the horrors of real, toxic relationships!"), but the truth of the matter is that this story is neither of these things, not really.

It's frustrating. If everything is wobbly and weird, what kind of point can you possibly make as an author? And yet, it's... kind of interesting? Kind of good?

Do you see now? It's a real headache novel.

Final Verdict

SVSSS is "objectively" a bad book: the writing is too muddled to work as either romance or satire, awkwardly leaving the reader in limbo. Quite frankly, the fact that anyone could walk into a bookstore and buy a copy of it is crazy. It feels like a very niche, very online story; like this weird thing that amassed a cult following in a very specific pocket of the internet, which, I guess that's exactly what happened. It's really not for everyone, is what I'm trying to say.

But despite its failings, the author has crafted an ambitious, unique work with a relationship that is surprisingly complex on closer inspection. I think that SVSSS often gets dismissed as a fun, albeit shallow, romp but I found that to be far from the truth. I've read MXTX's other stories, and even though it's certainly not her most polished novel, it's one that compelled me regardless. The fact that it refuses to be pidgeonholed is also a feat in itself, in my opinion.

So when I give this novel three stars, it's not because I found it mediocre in any way. To me, SVSSS is beyond good or bad... but an agonizing third thing. This wouldn't stop me from killing someone for a Luo Binghe figu**ne, however.

Dumbf*ck story, dumbf*ck author, am I right? <<less
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