The afternoon sun slanted through the restaurant windows, casting warm light across a circular table where four young people sat. Two girls and two boys — all high schoo — chatting over half-finished drinks.
Lin Chen sat casually in his black shirt and blue jeans, his black hair slightly messy but suiting his sharp, handsome features. He laughed at something Qin Jinming had said — Qin Jinming, with her short ponytail and half-sleeve white shirt, looked energetic and bright, her presence like a small spark constantly flickering.
Beside her sat Shu Xian, quiet and soft. Her long white dress and flowing white hair made her look like she had stepped out of a calm painting rather than a busy city restaurant. She simply smiled while listening to the others.
The last at the table was Yang Kai. White shirt rolled up halfway over a black t-shirt, black pants, and a face that should have looked relaxed among friends… yet it wasn't. He sat slightly stiff, his expression serious, unlike the others who chatted freely.
He slowly lifted his cold drink, took a sip, and tried to look normal. But his gaze slid back to Lin Chen again, and his thoughts churned.
Lin Chen… he is really in front of me.
Even now he couldn't fully grasp it. His heart was beating way too fast for someone just hanging out with friends.
Lin Chen — the protagonist of Capture the Heroines — the comic that blew up the entire fucking internet. Top ten comics? No, it went straight past them. One year. Just one year, and it was the most talked-about story worldwide.
It was insane. The plot, the twists, the emotions — everything had been perfect. Absolute goosebumps.
Over a hundred million readers on release day. A worldwide phenomenon.
And back then… Yang Kai was just one of those readers.
A boy lying on his bed, phone in hand, legs casually crossed, scrolling chapter after chapter. Laughing to himself, eyes shining with excitement.
"Haha, what an amazing chapter… Lin Chen really has that main character vibe…" he had said, tossing his phone aside in satisfaction.
For a moment, he had stared at the ceiling and whispered:
"Huh… what if I was in his position… in that comic? …Heh. What am I even thinking? Impossible."
Then he had fallen asleep.
And when he woke up…
He was here.
Inside the comic.
As Yang Kai.
Not the protagonist. Not the villain.
Just one of the supporting characters in Lin Chen's story.
Now, sitting in the restaurant, he looked at Lin Chen again — his idol, his favorite character — now laughing in front of him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Yang Kai's face warmed, and he quickly looked away.
Fuck… my favorite protagonist is literally my friend now. What the hell. Life is ridiculous.
He took another sip of his drink, trying to act normal.
But inside, he was screaming.
Yang Kai was still caught inside his tangled thoughts when Shu Xian's gentle voice broke through them.
"Hey, Yang Kai, what's the matter? Why are you so quiet today?" she asked, smiling softly at him.
Yang Kai blinked, startled, and hurriedly straightened up.
"Oh—sorry, I was just… distracted," he replied, forcing an awkward smile.
Lin Chen and Qin Jinming both turned their heads toward him.
Lin Chen leaned forward a little, concern in his eyes.
"What happened, bro? Something wrong?"
Yang Kai looked at him, and for a moment everything felt surreal again.
Qin Jinming, Lin Chen, Shu Xian… and Yang Kai. They were all friends since middle school. And now I'm here, inside Yang Kai's body. But why? And if I leave things how they are… then what?
I know how Yang Kai dies. He dies saving Lin Chen. He falls off the cliff and dies.
That's his future.
He forced a laugh and rubbed the back of his head.
"No, no, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking about something, that's all."
Before anyone could question further, a waiter arrived beside the table, placing four boxes of pizza down.
Lin Chen's eyes immediately lit up.
"Ohh, pizza's here!"
Qin Jinming stared at the boxes like they were her mortal enemy.
"Tsk. You damn boys. I told you I'm not eating pizza. I'm dieting."
Shu Xian gently patted Qin Jinming's head.
"Oww, so even if her best friend asks, little Qin won't eat?"
Qin Jinming froze — emotional damage delivered instantly.
She puffed up, making a weird angry face.
"Ahhh! You always do this to me! Emotional damage! Damn it— ack!"
Lin Chen burst into laughter, loud and unrestrained.
Yang Kai tried to hold his own laughter back… and failed completely.
The four of them laughed together, the table warm and lively.
Half an hour later, all four pizza boxes were empty.
Lin Chen stretched and stood up.
"I'll be back in a minute, I'm going to the restroom," he said, casually walking away.
Yang Kai watched him go. Then his gaze shifted to Shu Xian and Qin Jinming.
They were sitting close, chatting softly and sipping their cold drinks.
Both of them… they're Lin Chen's future girlfriends.
His heart tightened.
Shu Xian… she was my favorite female lead. And she's right here in front of me. So close.
But I can't do anything. I'm just Yang Kai. A side character. A character who dies.
As that thought echoed in his mind—
A thin blue line suddenly appeared in the air before him.
Yang Kai froze.
Huh? What the hell is this?
The blue line stretched, forming a glowing square — like a hologram screen.
Then white text began to appear on it.
---
[Host is thinking dirty about the female leads]
[Host, Acquire all heroines listed by System. Utilize prophetic data available to Host]
[System initializing…]
[System loading…]
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained — The Heroines Capture System.]
---
Yang Kai froze, drink still lifted halfway.
…What the actual fuck.
The holographic screen flickered, shifting into a new display.
---
[Host, status window has been created]
[Status Window]
{System Points: 0}
Name: Yang Kai
Age: 18
Sex: Male
Appearance: 5/10 (Average)
Strength: 10 (Average)
Agility: 8 (Average)
Speed: 8 (Average)
Intelligence: 6/20 (Average)
---
Yang Kai stared at the numbers.
Bro… I'm literally mid in every category.