The Issue of Zhu Zhuqing

As for why I devoted so much attention to Zhu Zhuqing.

That goes back to when I read the original novel.

Ten years ago, when I first read Douluo, I was blown away. I couldn't put down that overpowered, wish-fulfillment protagonist, Little White Dragon.

Over the years, I picked it back up and reread it a few times, and I read quite a lot of fanfiction too. I eventually became completely numb to overpowered wish-fulfillment protagonists.

Not until I started writing fanfiction myself did I force myself to go over the original novel again and again several times before putting pen to paper.

Here comes the important part.

After reading the original novel so many times, I came away with some personal interpretations of its characters.

As for Zhu Zhuqing, my personal view is this.

I pity her misfortune and resent her refusal to fight it.

She was born into a cruel family and betrothed from childhood to a scumbag. Not only was this scumbag a scumbag, he was also a coward.

When faced with the family struggle, Zhu Zhuqing, three years younger than Dai Mubai, chose to fight Zhu Zhuyun, while Dai Mubai chose to run away.

Thus began Zhu Zhuqing's long journey to find her fiancé.

Though the original novel never mentioned how many years she spent searching.

Based on Dai Mubai arriving at Shrek at the age of twelve, she must have searched for at least three years.

How old was Zhu Zhuqing at the time?

Nine.

Just a little girl who did not even have two Soul Rings.

For the sake of a scumbag, she endured Zhu Zhuyun's pursuit and assassination, traveling far and wide for three years just to find him.

How much hardship did she suffer during that time?

The original novel never said, but you can imagine it yourselves.

And Dai Mubai?

He drank, gambled, and indulged himself, throwing his weight around. Even the Rose Hotel's manager had to respectfully call him Young Master Dai, while he himself was so overbearing that he would start fighting at the slightest disagreement.

When twelve-year-old Zhu Zhuqing entered Shrek, Dai Mubai did not even recognize her. He merely felt that her Martial Soul suited his very well.

Ask yourselves honestly: was it worth it?

There is another question.

Did Zhu Zhuqing truly like Dai Mubai?

Without a doubt, no.

Do not use the fact that a Martial Soul Fusion Skill requires mutual understanding to prove that she liked Dai Mubai.

The Lovesick Heartbreak Red had already proven everything.

Zhu Zhuqing harbored deep resentment toward Dai Mubai. She had even witnessed with her own eyes the scene of Dai Mubai taking twin girls into a room.

But what happened in the end? For the sake of so-called "brotherhood," she chose to accept Dai Mubai, because the Shrek Seven Devils needed the Hell White Tiger as their ultimate trump card.

Later on, she became nothing more than a glorified accessory. She was arguably the most miserable member of the original protagonist group.

My view of this character is this.

She was a strong woman accustomed to hiding herself behind coldness, but beneath that strong exterior lay nothing but pity and sorrow. Having grown used to a life of silently enduring whatever came her way, she made people pity her misfortune and resent her refusal to fight it.

So, in my story, I wanted to write her as more vivid and real. I wanted to bring her to life and let her truly fight for her own fate at least once.

At the very least, she should live with greater dignity instead of submitting to her own fate and to the bizarre brotherhood of the Shrek Seven Devils.

Let me add one more thing.

Although I am writing fanfiction, this is not mindless wish-fulfillment, nor is it a story that collects a harem merely for the sake of collecting one.

I will add some of my own interpretations of the characters, or entirely new characterizations.

For example, Yu Luomian was lax in his cultivation. To avoid competing with Yu Yuanzhen, he could make no progress at all for ten or twenty years. Yet out of love for Yu Xiaowei, he would absorb a Soul Ring that was not particularly compatible with him, even a high-year Soul Ring that ordinarily only Title Douluo would choose, all for the sake of a possibly existing Soul Bone.

Take Yu Yuanzhen as another example. Even with a useless son like Yu Xiaogang, he could not bear to expel him from the family and allowed him to remain there for many years. Only after Yu Xiaogang exposed a family secret did he, under internal pressure, expel him, silently taking on the reputation of being rigid and harsh all by himself.

Take Ning Rongrong. She went from being a child spoiled beyond all bounds in the original novel to a child appropriate for her age, innocent and lively. In her heart, Brother Xiaowei was her entire world.

Take Salas. He was an archbishop who devoted himself heart and soul to Spirit Hall. So long as Spirit Hall could grow stronger, he could shamelessly force people into joining Spirit Hall, even at the cost of offending two of the Upper Three Sects at once.

As for Zhu Zhuqing, what I wanted to emphasize in the current plot was her suffering.

In Silvis City, for the sake of a single meal, she was willing to become a thief and threaten Yu Xiaowei into getting food for her. Yet when faced with Yu Xiaowei disguised as an ordinary person, she only threatened him verbally and did not resort to violence. That was the bottom line of her conscience.

In Suotuo City, Bule captured her, yet when she faced Yu Xiaowei, who had rescued her, all she could think about was retrieving her Soul Tool. That was only because her personal clothes were all with Yu Xiaowei. It was the last of her dignity.

At the Rose Hotel, faced with the heavily injured Dai Mubai and Yu Xiaowei, who had saved her life, she still chose to submit to fate after making her choice. That was the tragic part of her character.

Some readers commented, wasn't that just pathetic?

The wording was a little harsh, but put simply, that was indeed the logic of it.

Others said that once they saw Zhu Zhuqing choose to look for Dai Mubai, they no longer wanted to read.

I cannot really say much about that, but that is how the plot is currently set up.

Was I supposed to write Yu Xiaowei shaking his kingly aura, beating Dai Mubai senseless, and then have Zhu Zhuqing, who had spent three years searching for her fiancé, immediately fall for someone else?

Come on, would a protagonist loved by everyone and adored by all not just be some breeding stallion?

To those saying I am building a harem, I really want to ask.

Did Yu Xiaowei flirt with Zhu Zhuqing?

Not only did he not, he even deliberately drove a wedge between her and Dai Mubai, did he not?

If you count Yu Xiaowei saving someone as flirting, then I have nothing to say.

And why did I write that part in Silvis City?

The reasoning is very simple.

Without laying some groundwork first, was Yu Xiaowei supposed to go straight to driving a wedge between Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai?

Wouldn't that be abrupt?

Saying any more would involve later plot developments, so it would not be convenient to reveal them in advance.

On a side note.

Take Chapter Thirty-Eight, for instance.

When Zhu Zhuqing was with Dai Mubai, you thought I was handing the girl over. When Zhu Zhuqing was with the protagonist, you thought I was opening a harem.

Writing Douluo fanfiction is so hard...

So, I have decided to write according to my own outline.

Anyway, it is not a harem, not a harem, not a harem. As for whether there will be only one female lead, that depends on my mood.

Also, who says that if there is only one female lead, supporting characters cannot be women? Does a single-female-lead world contain only men and the female lead?

Thank you to all the esteemed readers who support me now, follow my story, and give monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and rewards.

I would also especially like to thank Liangkai Bingdu. Ever since I started outlining this story, he has tirelessly guided me step by step. Cross-promotion is the best.

Those who enjoy harem stories can check out his "Douluo: Drinking Alcohol Makes You Stronger," "Douluo: I Promise This Is the Last Bowl of Rice," and his new book, "Douluo: An Undercover Agent in Spirit Hall—Who Told You to Marry the Pontiff?"