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How to Survive as a Villain #1
How to Survive as a Villain 01
Waking up as the villain is bad enough.
Waking up as this villain is a death sentence.
When domineering CEO Xiao Yu’an opens his eyes, he finds himself in the body of a doomed emperor in a third-rate stallion novel—a.k.a. the villain who imprisons the righteous protagonist Yan Heqing and dies a gruesome death for it.
Not on his watch.
Armed with knowledge of the plot and a strong will to stay alive, Xiao sets out to rewrite his fate. Instead of cruelty, he offers kindness. Instead of power games, he offers friendship. After all, Yan is supposed to build a grand harem and rise to greatness—Xiao’s just here to support him… from a safe distance.
But as fate unfolds, nothing goes according to plan. The story still hurtles toward war, conquest, and betrayal. And Xiao finds himself tangled in misunderstandings, overly helpful courtiers, and a very conflicting relationship with the man he’s supposed to fear.
How to Survive as a Villain is a laugh-out-loud danmei transmigration comedy full of political twists, emotional confusion, and a very reluctant villain who might just become the hero of his own story.
Waking up as this villain is a death sentence.
When domineering CEO Xiao Yu’an opens his eyes, he finds himself in the body of a doomed emperor in a third-rate stallion novel—a.k.a. the villain who imprisons the righteous protagonist Yan Heqing and dies a gruesome death for it.
Not on his watch.
Armed with knowledge of the plot and a strong will to stay alive, Xiao sets out to rewrite his fate. Instead of cruelty, he offers kindness. Instead of power games, he offers friendship. After all, Yan is supposed to build a grand harem and rise to greatness—Xiao’s just here to support him… from a safe distance.
But as fate unfolds, nothing goes according to plan. The story still hurtles toward war, conquest, and betrayal. And Xiao finds himself tangled in misunderstandings, overly helpful courtiers, and a very conflicting relationship with the man he’s supposed to fear.
How to Survive as a Villain is a laugh-out-loud danmei transmigration comedy full of political twists, emotional confusion, and a very reluctant villain who might just become the hero of his own story.
419 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2024
26 people are currently reading
1635 people want to read
About the author
Yi Yi Yi Yi
31 books36 followersAssociated Names:
* 伊依以翼 (Chinese)
* Yi Yi Yi Yi (English)
* Y.Y. Dĩ Dực (Vietnamese)
* 伊依以翼 (Chinese)
* Yi Yi Yi Yi (English)
* Y.Y. Dĩ Dực (Vietnamese)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
December 22, 2024
I loved this. I originally read some of the comic 1st and found it a bit meh. The novel is 100% better and I'm glad I gave the story a 2nd chance.
The main and side characters are brilliant. It had great pacing and I was invested in the plot.
Xiao Yu'an (ML) is a cinnamon roll who deserves happiness. I really liked how the relationship between him and Yan Heqing (ML) developed. I'm praying the series has a happy ending as the ending for this volume left a tear in my eye.
Definitely will be picking up vol 2.
On a side note, Rosmei have done a fantastic job with making the paperbacks for these. The paper and print is high quality. I will gladly buy books made by them again.
The main and side characters are brilliant. It had great pacing and I was invested in the plot.
Xiao Yu'an (ML) is a cinnamon roll who deserves happiness. I really liked how the relationship between him and Yan Heqing (ML) developed. I'm praying the series has a happy ending as the ending for this volume left a tear in my eye.
Definitely will be picking up vol 2.
On a side note, Rosmei have done a fantastic job with making the paperbacks for these. The paper and print is high quality. I will gladly buy books made by them again.
December 20, 2025
4,5 'Flute and hairpin' stars
Rated S for SPOILERS!!!
I went into this book totally blind and had no idea what to expect. So, it happened similar as with SVSSS, when you think you got into a cute little silly transmigration story, and then suddenly you realize everything has turned kind of tragic, that it's not just adorable anymore, and how the fuck can there be happy ending after all that??? I did NOT sign up for this!! (I'm still enjoying it immenseley, of course.) But before I get ahead of myself, let's start with the beginning, which is kind of strange (but I think all transmigration novels are at first) and I needed some time to get invested in the charachters and plot. Our main charachter, Xiao Yu'an, is a funny fellow. He gets transmigrated into a novel as the villain emperor and decides to just go with the flow and hoping for the best. He's constantly quoting - and most importantlly singing - popular modern songs and trying to apply 20/21th century politics and philosophy into historical-fictional stallion novel, lol. You just can't help it but love him!
At first, Xiao Yu'an is only trying to survive and not get killed by the novel's protagonist Yan Heqing - the prince of neighbouring kingdom turned slave, and eventually Xiao Yu'an's killer and ultimate winner. But spending time with charachters around him, he gets a little attached, and wants to change their destinies for the better as well. Having real power and means to do it as an emperor, he actually manages to right some wrongs from the novel, and also starts acting as a true sovereign. It's so funny how people around him react to the changes. In general, no one really knows what's going on with their emperor and his weird personality swap, but since he's genuinely doing an effort in ruling the empire, most of them simply vibe with him in doing totally unusual things (very frequently in the middle of the night) 🤣🤣
And yes, he's also often in denial about a lot of things; most commonly about his feelings and basically everything to do with him.
On the other hand, it took me longer to warm up to Yan Heqing, which is maybe unfair, since he went through a lot of hardship and horrible things, and he definiteley deserves to be pitied. But his charachter is very stoic and unemotional, so it's sometimes hard to sympathize with him because he's always so cold and unaffected. Also, it doesn't help that Xiao Yu'an sing him praises all the time - being this amazing protagonist with everything he wants at his feet. However, after learning more about him, it becomes clear that he probabaly wasn't happy in the original plotline. At least it seems to me, that he hasn't experienced any genuine affection in the original novel.
The start of their relationship is kind of rocky, which is to be expected - one of them being enslaved prince and the other the emperor of enemy's nation. However, Xiao Yu'an is genuinely trying to make Yan Henqing's life better or at least put him out of harm's way. (Something that is not always effective because, seriously, making him his concubine??? As if emperial harem wouldn't be the most UNSAFE place in the whole realm *face palm*) But despite some maybe unaffective methods of protection Xiao Yu'an uses, Yan Henqing starts to lower his guard. Afterall, surprisingly the emperor is one of the rare persons to show him any kindness in that rather hostile (to him) land. Also, Xiao Yu'an rather early share the secret that he's not from this world with him, so a special bond forms between them because of that.
Yeah, they are trying to "invent" 'there was only one bed' trope, haha
They can be such a comedic duo. Especially after Xiao Yu'an appoints Yan Heqing as his bodyguard, they really get into so much crazy antics together. And not just that, also thank god, that Yan Heqing becomes his bodyguard, becuase Xiao Yu'an is one of those MCs that attract trouble like it's national sport, lol.
Gif by theside-b
Most of the time we are not aware of Yan Heqing's thoughts, so I can just imagine what bizzare things he's thinking, when he's running around with the emperor himself. And what is even more hilarious is that among Xiao Yu'an's other tasks, he's also trying to get Yan Heqing togehter with his original love interest, who is btw Yu'an's sister. But being the transmigrator, of course, he is the one who gets trapped right into all romantic plots - like being rescued from falling face first into a pond and such.
It would be great if I could stop writing my review here and pretend that this is a happy ending, and that absoulutely everything is fine, and that no one was harmed in any way. However, now we come to the part I said I did not sign up for 🥺🥺 no matter how much Xiao Yu'an and Yan Heqing got close to each other and caught feelings for one another, it does not change the fact the they are supposed to be enemies. Maybe in a perfect world, love would make everything right but Yi Yi Yi Yi doesn't allow us to dream even in a fictional world.
Therefore, Xiao Yu'an decides to put aside his own private feelings and act as an emperor to put his people first, so he sets Yan Heqing free and breaks all connection with him. I think everything became very real for him when gave her life for him. In that moment it stopped being just him trying to save his own life, and people around him stopped being just charachters from paper and ink, but people, who live, breath, bleed, and die.
Gif by aceofgifs
This scene was so heartbreaking. Yan Heqing thinking that Xiao Yu'an decided to kill him but still clinging to his new found feelings for Xiao Yu'an, not wanting to lose hope. And Xiao Yu'an's heart breaking because he felt that breaking all bonds was the only solution. But this is only the start of all the tragic things that happened 😭😭 Reading about Xiao Yu'an doing everything in his power to save The Northeren Empire and its people and somehow still failing because no matter how much do you fight, the power of Heaven and Destiny is greater. This part reminded me of Xie Lian fighting for Xianle Empire but still failing… And it's not fair!! But of course it's imposible to fight war, natural disasters and famine at the same time, and come out as victorious. It was especially painfull to read about how Northeren Empire soldiers sacrified themselves to tip the scales at least a little to their army's advantage but at the end of everything it was practically for nothing 😭😭😭 I read that part twice because I just couldn't believe my eyes. I didn't expect in the slightest, that would die. Especially becuase in my mind I already imagine how him and will get togehter in the future. It seems that Yang Liu'an and Xiao Fengyue getting away from palace drama and its deadly traps gave me false hope how everyone will get their HEA and now I'm even scared that both of them just delayed their destinied demises.
I can’t really blame Yan Heqing for what happened after. As I said, it was probably impossible that love could just make war go away, and especially after Xiao Yu’an sent Yan Heqing away and pretended that there was nothing between them, there wasn’t much else what Yan Heqing would do. Also, taking into account how he was taken prisoner and being made a slave, how his parents had died and their kingdom brought to ruin, how much suffering and humiliation he had endured. It’s not a surprise that he longed for revenge, especially with his uncle practically forcing him to. And on top of everything – he was literally made to be a warrior and a conquer. And whatever force was pushing Xiao Yu’an to his demise, it was making Yan Heqing victorious.
However, now that the roles has been reveresed, I hope that Yan Heqing will not let Xiao Yu’an suffer. I need them back together safe and sound, and IN LOVE!! So, Yan Heqing, you better quickly save your man, and prove to me you’re worthy of this precious angel.
4,5 'Flute and hairpin' stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐
4 'Finding each other again' stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rated S for SPOILERS!!!
I went into this book totally blind and had no idea what to expect. So, it happened similar as with SVSSS, when you think you got into a cute little silly transmigration story, and then suddenly you realize everything has turned kind of tragic, that it's not just adorable anymore, and how the fuck can there be happy ending after all that??? I did NOT sign up for this!! (I'm still enjoying it immenseley, of course.) But before I get ahead of myself, let's start with the beginning, which is kind of strange (but I think all transmigration novels are at first) and I needed some time to get invested in the charachters and plot. Our main charachter, Xiao Yu'an, is a funny fellow. He gets transmigrated into a novel as the villain emperor and decides to just go with the flow and hoping for the best. He's constantly quoting - and most importantlly singing - popular modern songs and trying to apply 20/21th century politics and philosophy into historical-fictional stallion novel, lol. You just can't help it but love him!
At first, Xiao Yu'an is only trying to survive and not get killed by the novel's protagonist Yan Heqing - the prince of neighbouring kingdom turned slave, and eventually Xiao Yu'an's killer and ultimate winner. But spending time with charachters around him, he gets a little attached, and wants to change their destinies for the better as well. Having real power and means to do it as an emperor, he actually manages to right some wrongs from the novel, and also starts acting as a true sovereign. It's so funny how people around him react to the changes. In general, no one really knows what's going on with their emperor and his weird personality swap, but since he's genuinely doing an effort in ruling the empire, most of them simply vibe with him in doing totally unusual things (very frequently in the middle of the night) 🤣🤣
"Yes. I accidentally bit him yesterday."
"Your Majesty, you..."
"I truly don't like him. You don't have to look at me like that..."
In the fifth year of Hongxiu' s servitude to the emperor, she suddenly discovered His Majesty's small habit of refusing to express his actual thoughts.
And yes, he's also often in denial about a lot of things; most commonly about his feelings and basically everything to do with him.
On the other hand, it took me longer to warm up to Yan Heqing, which is maybe unfair, since he went through a lot of hardship and horrible things, and he definiteley deserves to be pitied. But his charachter is very stoic and unemotional, so it's sometimes hard to sympathize with him because he's always so cold and unaffected. Also, it doesn't help that Xiao Yu'an sing him praises all the time - being this amazing protagonist with everything he wants at his feet. However, after learning more about him, it becomes clear that he probabaly wasn't happy in the original plotline. At least it seems to me, that he hasn't experienced any genuine affection in the original novel.
The start of their relationship is kind of rocky, which is to be expected - one of them being enslaved prince and the other the emperor of enemy's nation. However, Xiao Yu'an is genuinely trying to make Yan Henqing's life better or at least put him out of harm's way. (Something that is not always effective because, seriously, making him his concubine??? As if emperial harem wouldn't be the most UNSAFE place in the whole realm *face palm*) But despite some maybe unaffective methods of protection Xiao Yu'an uses, Yan Henqing starts to lower his guard. Afterall, surprisingly the emperor is one of the rare persons to show him any kindness in that rather hostile (to him) land. Also, Xiao Yu'an rather early share the secret that he's not from this world with him, so a special bond forms between them because of that.
"Yan Heqing, you're the only one in this entire world who knows that I'm not the emperor. Only you treat me as a normal person. Why are you still so formal? Either I sleep one the table, or we sleep on the same bed together. You pick."
Yan Heqing lifted his head and met Xiao Yu'an's gaze with his own. After a long moment, Yan Heqing got up slowly and walked over to the bed. Lowering his head to look at Xiao Yu'an, he asked, "Are you sure?"
"Come up here." Xiao Yu'an huddled inwards on the bed, making space for Yan Heqing.
Yeah, they are trying to "invent" 'there was only one bed' trope, haha
The guard surveyed him from head to toe. "Who do you think you are?"
"One should not conceal his real identity in any situation. My official name is Xiao Yu'an. Others have bestowed upon me the nickname 'CEO', so you can call me CEO Xiao."
Yan Heqing pressed a hand to his forehead, speechless.
The guard unsheathed his blade and upbraided Xiao Yu'an, "Where did this lunatic come from? Hurry and move aside. My blade will not show any mercy."
As the blade approached Xiao Yu'an, Yan Heqing stepped forward, shielding Xiao Yu'an behind him. Applying pressure on the guard's hilt, he said coldly, "Inform your prince that His Majesty is here."
They can be such a comedic duo. Especially after Xiao Yu'an appoints Yan Heqing as his bodyguard, they really get into so much crazy antics together. And not just that, also thank god, that Yan Heqing becomes his bodyguard, becuase Xiao Yu'an is one of those MCs that attract trouble like it's national sport, lol.
Gif by theside-b
Most of the time we are not aware of Yan Heqing's thoughts, so I can just imagine what bizzare things he's thinking, when he's running around with the emperor himself. And what is even more hilarious is that among Xiao Yu'an's other tasks, he's also trying to get Yan Heqing togehter with his original love interest, who is btw Yu'an's sister. But being the transmigrator, of course, he is the one who gets trapped right into all romantic plots - like being rescued from falling face first into a pond and such.
Xiao Yuan toyed with the flute that he had spent great money to acquire and thought, I don't know what's going to happen in the future anyway, so I should just follow my heart and enjoy the present.
So Xiao Yu'an turned around and handed the flute to Yan Heqing. "Here, for you."
His smile, radiant and full of optimism, reached deep into Yan Heqing's gaze. That look was as clear as the sky after cleaning rain, and his gentle smile was as bright as a galaxy of stars in a dream. [...]
"Why are you zooning out?" Xiao Yu'an pressed the flute into Yan Heqing's hands.
Yan Heqing held the flute tightly, looking down as he stammered, "I... I don't have anything to give you in return. I'll give you this as thanks."
Putting his hands up, Xiao Yu'an was about to refuse when he suddenly saw what Yan Heqing was holding, and it shocked him into taking a step back immediately.
Yan Heqing had his palm out, where a jade hairpin lay quietly in his hand. It was the hairpin that belonged to Yan Heqing's mother, the empress, and also the token of love that Yan Heqing had given Princess Yongning in the novel.
Lifting his eyes, Xiao Yu'an met Yan Heqing's gaze, where his eyes shimmered as if reflecting numerous lights and glittering stars. Yan Heqing murmured, "Thank you."
Xiao Yu'an's frustration vanished in a heartbeat.
[...] Yan Heqing heard the whisper of fate in his ear.
"You have fallen in love with him."
Illuminated by the faint light from the corner under the tower's roof, Yan Heqing's embrace around Xiao Yu'an's waist tightened. In the spur of the moment, he bent over and kissed Xiao Yu'an on the lips. The fragrance of the lingering liquor filled the air, and the bustling world faded away.
Xiao Yu'an was kissed to the brink of breathlessness.
It would be great if I could stop writing my review here and pretend that this is a happy ending, and that absoulutely everything is fine, and that no one was harmed in any way. However, now we come to the part I said I did not sign up for 🥺🥺 no matter how much Xiao Yu'an and Yan Heqing got close to each other and caught feelings for one another, it does not change the fact the they are supposed to be enemies. Maybe in a perfect world, love would make everything right but Yi Yi Yi Yi doesn't allow us to dream even in a fictional world.
"Xiao Yu’an," Yan Heqing called out to him.
Xiao Yu’an slowly turned to face him again, those warm and gentle dark eyes meeting Yan Heqing’s.
With a start, Yan Heqing realiased where this unease stemmed from.
Xiao Yu’an had not once smiled at him since rebellion and death.
"Yan Heqing" Xiao Yu’an opened his mouth slowly as if trying to make some sort of desicion.
Therefore, Xiao Yu'an decides to put aside his own private feelings and act as an emperor to put his people first, so he sets Yan Heqing free and breaks all connection with him. I think everything became very real for him when gave her life for him. In that moment it stopped being just him trying to save his own life, and people around him stopped being just charachters from paper and ink, but people, who live, breath, bleed, and die.
Looking at the bottle, Yan Heqing held onto it, caressing its surface. He rasped, "What's this? Are you going to..."
Are you going to kill me?
Xiao Yu'an did not answer.
Yan Heqing inhaled deeply, "Xiao Yu..."
Xiao Yu'an corrected him immediately, his tone resolute and brooking no argument, "Call me Your Majesty."
"Xiao. Yu. An" Yan Heqing delibertely enunciated Xiao Yu'an's name word by word. His eyes trained on Xiao Yu'an as though he wanted to devour him. He gripped the bottle tightly, his knuckles going white and his fingers turning blue. "Xiao Yu'an, do you want me to drink this?"
For a moment, something was stuck in Xiao Yu'an's throat. His eyes clouded as he nodded, the movement slow and hesitant.
"Alright, then I'll drink it."
Gif by aceofgifs
"Xiao Yu'an, why did you have to be reborn as the emperor of the Northern Empire? Why..."
[...] Yan Heqing's consciousness started to scatter. He heard Xiao Yu'an's voice, seemingly from far away as so surreal. "I don't know... maybe... it was all so I could meet you..."
This scene was so heartbreaking. Yan Heqing thinking that Xiao Yu'an decided to kill him but still clinging to his new found feelings for Xiao Yu'an, not wanting to lose hope. And Xiao Yu'an's heart breaking because he felt that breaking all bonds was the only solution. But this is only the start of all the tragic things that happened 😭😭 Reading about Xiao Yu'an doing everything in his power to save The Northeren Empire and its people and somehow still failing because no matter how much do you fight, the power of Heaven and Destiny is greater. This part reminded me of Xie Lian fighting for Xianle Empire but still failing… And it's not fair!! But of course it's imposible to fight war, natural disasters and famine at the same time, and come out as victorious. It was especially painfull to read about how Northeren Empire soldiers sacrified themselves to tip the scales at least a little to their army's advantage but at the end of everything it was practically for nothing 😭😭😭 I read that part twice because I just couldn't believe my eyes. I didn't expect in the slightest, that would die. Especially becuase in my mind I already imagine how him and will get togehter in the future. It seems that Yang Liu'an and Xiao Fengyue getting away from palace drama and its deadly traps gave me false hope how everyone will get their HEA and now I'm even scared that both of them just delayed their destinied demises.
I can’t really blame Yan Heqing for what happened after. As I said, it was probably impossible that love could just make war go away, and especially after Xiao Yu’an sent Yan Heqing away and pretended that there was nothing between them, there wasn’t much else what Yan Heqing would do. Also, taking into account how he was taken prisoner and being made a slave, how his parents had died and their kingdom brought to ruin, how much suffering and humiliation he had endured. It’s not a surprise that he longed for revenge, especially with his uncle practically forcing him to. And on top of everything – he was literally made to be a warrior and a conquer. And whatever force was pushing Xiao Yu’an to his demise, it was making Yan Heqing victorious.
However, now that the roles has been reveresed, I hope that Yan Heqing will not let Xiao Yu’an suffer. I need them back together safe and sound, and IN LOVE!! So, Yan Heqing, you better quickly save your man, and prove to me you’re worthy of this precious angel.
Then, he was caugt around the waist, and warmth immediately spread from the point of contact.
Yan Heqing emraced Xiao Yu'an tightly with one hand, and with his other hand, he applied pressure on Xiao Yu'an's wounds in an attempt to staunch the blood flow. His hands shook, his lips pale, as if he was the one inflicted with the frightening cuts instead.
4,5 'Flute and hairpin' stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐
4 'Finding each other again' stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
September 8, 2024
Oh, this was so good, but so heartbreaking!
It starts out as a silly little story, we're all laughing at the main character being transmigrated to his favourite stallion novel, but things get real soon. Xiao Yu'an turns from a funny little guy to realising that yes, those were just characters on a webpage, but now they are real people and his actions affect them.
I love all the side couples and if anything happens to any of them I will cry like a baby (already did a few times, so I'm sure it will happen again!).
Also, I can't emphasise enough, one of the side couples is sapphic!!! Haven't seen that in a danmei before.
Can't wait to read vol 2!
It starts out as a silly little story, we're all laughing at the main character being transmigrated to his favourite stallion novel, but things get real soon. Xiao Yu'an turns from a funny little guy to realising that yes, those were just characters on a webpage, but now they are real people and his actions affect them.
I love all the side couples and if anything happens to any of them I will cry like a baby (already did a few times, so I'm sure it will happen again!).
Also, I can't emphasise enough, one of the side couples is sapphic!!! Haven't seen that in a danmei before.
Can't wait to read vol 2!
July 22, 2024
I could barely read the last few pages through my tears 😭 First chapter threw me for a loop and I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book (TW for animal death and suicide). However once the MC transmigrated, I fell in love with Xiao Yu’an and the story. Nice amount of humor throughout the book also.
Similar to Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint and SVSSS, the MC is transmigrated into a novel and we are dealing with the Butterfly Effect with every decision made. This is vol. 1 published by Rosmei with two more volumes expected (no release dates yet).
✔️Transmigration
✔️ Historical
✔️ Enemies to lovers
Similar to Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint and SVSSS, the MC is transmigrated into a novel and we are dealing with the Butterfly Effect with every decision made. This is vol. 1 published by Rosmei with two more volumes expected (no release dates yet).
✔️Transmigration
✔️ Historical
✔️ Enemies to lovers
January 1, 2026
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future anyway, so I should just follow my heart and enjoy the present.”
Take a load of this!I finished reading *How to Survive as a Villain* Vol. 1, and I am absolutely SHOOK! I went into this thinking it would be a fun, lighthearted read about a guy getting transmigrated into his favorite web novel, but it turned out to be so much more! Xiao Yu’an is the most adorable cinnamon roll ever, and I just want to protect him at all costs!
The way he tries to change his fate and get on the good side of the story’s hero, Yan Heqing, is both hilarious and heartwarming. And can we talk about the side characters for a second?! I wasn’t expecting to get so attached to them, especially one of the side couples who totally stole my heart. Also, *side note*: there’s a lovely WLW couple in this danmei!
I laughed, I cried, I had my heart ripped out and stomped on a few times...and I’m already dying for Vol. 2! The book is beautifully printed, too—Rosmei really outdid themselves with this one. If you’re into transmigration stories with a twist and lots of feels, you HAVE to pick this up. Seriously, do it. Now. You won’t regret it.
Date Read: 2024.09.07
Re-read: 2025.07.07
Take a load of this!I finished reading *How to Survive as a Villain* Vol. 1, and I am absolutely SHOOK! I went into this thinking it would be a fun, lighthearted read about a guy getting transmigrated into his favorite web novel, but it turned out to be so much more! Xiao Yu’an is the most adorable cinnamon roll ever, and I just want to protect him at all costs!
The way he tries to change his fate and get on the good side of the story’s hero, Yan Heqing, is both hilarious and heartwarming. And can we talk about the side characters for a second?! I wasn’t expecting to get so attached to them, especially one of the side couples who totally stole my heart. Also, *side note*: there’s a lovely WLW couple in this danmei!
I laughed, I cried, I had my heart ripped out and stomped on a few times...and I’m already dying for Vol. 2! The book is beautifully printed, too—Rosmei really outdid themselves with this one. If you’re into transmigration stories with a twist and lots of feels, you HAVE to pick this up. Seriously, do it. Now. You won’t regret it.
Date Read: 2024.09.07
Re-read: 2025.07.07
December 22, 2025
this book was so good i'm a sucker for transmigrated as the villain tropes
i loved how fun and cute the beginning was i totally did not expect that total 180 halfway through though
the ending was so painful and sad and im so curious how the rest of the story will play out but all in all it's really interesting and im obsessed with the side couples
i loved how fun and cute the beginning was i totally did not expect that total 180 halfway through though
the ending was so painful and sad and im so curious how the rest of the story will play out but all in all it's really interesting and im obsessed with the side couples
January 23, 2025
I absolutely adored this book! Honestly, I cannot say enough good things to say about it! This story was one that I was already familiar with, having previously read a decent chunk of the manhua adaptation, though I never finished it. When I found out that the original novel had been officially translated into English and published in physical form, I was ecstatic and extremely excited to get my hands on it. After impatiently waiting several long months to get my hands on a copy, I literally sat down and started reading it immediately after receiving the book in the mail. Even with my high expectations, I was utterly blown away and taken by surprise by how much I loved this book. It was an incredible read from start to finish and has become one of my favorite danmei that I've ever read! Seriously, this series deserves far more recognition! My only disappointment is that I have to wait several months for the next volume to be released in English!
Reading this immediately after finishing the main story for The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System, which initially has a very similar transmigration setup, it was really interesting to see the differences between the two series. For me, How to Survive as a Villain was everything that I wish SVSSS had been, minus the cultivation setting. Just to clarify, I'm not saying that SVSSS is objectively bad. For anyone who happened to read my review of the third volume of SVSSS, you will know that it simply wasn't my cup of tea. I'm not a fan of yandere characters and I am deeply disturbed by scenes of non-con/dub-con. Therefore, I was very happy to see that the relationship between Yan Heqing and Xiao Yu'an was very different to that of Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu.
One of my favorite things about How to Survive as a Villain was the protagonist, Xiao Yu'an. He was so lovable and endearing as a main character. It was truly one of those situations where I felt like this was a character that I would literally defend to the death. He is such a cute, quirky, precious little cinnamon roll! His silly habit of randomly singing modern songs and playing funny word games that confused the hell out of everyone around him in the historical setting of the novel he gets transmigrated into cracked me up.
Xiao Yu'an tries so hard to do the right thing and be kind to everyone around him. I loved getting to see his character development and how he went from not taking things very seriously at the beginning and still thinking of the world as a story in a book, to becoming deeply involved and emotionally invested in that world. He goes from seeing himself as an outside observer of his favorite fictional story, who is only trying to survive, to doing everything in his power to be the best emperor he can be for the Northern Empire. In a way, Xiao Yu'an reminds me of Xie Lian from Heaven Official's Blessing. Like Xie Lian, he cares deeply about the common people and does his best to try and improve their lives. And, like Xie Lian, unfortunately everything seems to be working against Xiao Yu'an and conspiring to destroy the kingdom that he is fighting so hard to protect.
I really loved getting to see the way the relationship developed between Yan Heqing and Xiao Yu'an from enemies to friends and then possibly more. The progression felt very natural to me and it was wonderful to see them slowly earn each other's respect and trust. I was also really glad that Xiao Yu'an told Yan Heqing almost immediately that he had transmigrated from another world and that he was not the emperor of the Northern Empire. In so many transmigration stories it seems like the transmigration is just the setup and that plot point fades into the background almost immediately, never to be mentioned again, or at least very rarely mentioned. Its so much more interesting to see how Yan Heqing interacts with Xiao Yu'an as himself rather than in the character of the Northern emperor. I loved seeing how the lovable goofball Xiao Yu'an was able to slowly chip away at Yan Heqing's cold exterior and work his way past even the stoic Southern prince's guard despite his mistrust and hatred toward the Northern Empire. I honestly do not know who could resist loving Xiao Yu'an after getting to know him! He is just SO precious!
The first two thirds of the novel was mostly about Yan Heqing and Xiao Yu'an getting to know each other, and was fairly lighthearted (with some notable exceptions). There wasn't a lot of action, for the most part, though there was a decent amount of court intrigue, politics and harem drama. Regardless, the focus was definitely on the relationship between the two main characters. However, the last part of the novel was full of angst and heartbreak. There were several points where I literally had tears streaming down my face while reading.
I am not someone who is a fan of angst just for the sake of angst and I generally tend to like happy stories. This, however, is very far from being angst just for the sake of it. While it may seem light and somewhat shallow at the beginning, How to Survive as a Villain proves itself to be a complex and deeply moving work of fiction. Though I absolutely loved Golden Terrace, I think that How to Survive as a Villain manages to do something that book was unable to do. Golden Terrace never managed to make me feel invested in the war that was going on in that series or to truly depict the atrocities of war in general. In How to Survive as a Villain, the author managed to make the war seem so impactful and devastating. By showing the perspective of both sides the author truly manages to impress on the reader how violence only leads to more hatred and violence and how its the civilians on both sides who suffer the most in the end. No on wins in war. That may be a cliche sentiment at this point, but that doesn't make it any less true and it could not be more poignantly illustrated than it is in this novel. This story made me feel so much. It made every character, even those who might be perceived as villains, seem like a real person with strong motivations and valid reasons for the things they do.
This is a true tale of tragedy and forbidden love as well as the perils of war and vengeance. It is complex and deeply moving. If you are a fan of danmei, especially of historical novels, I would highly recommend this book! Seriously, please read it! It is wonderful! I cannot wait to find out what happens next! I truly hope with all my heart that there will be a happy ending for Yan Heqing and my precious baby, Xiao Yu'an. Please! Xiao Yu'an deserves all of the happiness in the world!
P.S. Strong trigger warnings for suicide and suicide attempts! This is something that comes up multiple times throughout the novel and is depicted in fairly graphic detail. If this is something that upsets you, then please be kind to yourself and avoid the novel.
Reading this immediately after finishing the main story for The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System, which initially has a very similar transmigration setup, it was really interesting to see the differences between the two series. For me, How to Survive as a Villain was everything that I wish SVSSS had been, minus the cultivation setting. Just to clarify, I'm not saying that SVSSS is objectively bad. For anyone who happened to read my review of the third volume of SVSSS, you will know that it simply wasn't my cup of tea. I'm not a fan of yandere characters and I am deeply disturbed by scenes of non-con/dub-con. Therefore, I was very happy to see that the relationship between Yan Heqing and Xiao Yu'an was very different to that of Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu.
One of my favorite things about How to Survive as a Villain was the protagonist, Xiao Yu'an. He was so lovable and endearing as a main character. It was truly one of those situations where I felt like this was a character that I would literally defend to the death. He is such a cute, quirky, precious little cinnamon roll! His silly habit of randomly singing modern songs and playing funny word games that confused the hell out of everyone around him in the historical setting of the novel he gets transmigrated into cracked me up.
Xiao Yu'an tries so hard to do the right thing and be kind to everyone around him. I loved getting to see his character development and how he went from not taking things very seriously at the beginning and still thinking of the world as a story in a book, to becoming deeply involved and emotionally invested in that world. He goes from seeing himself as an outside observer of his favorite fictional story, who is only trying to survive, to doing everything in his power to be the best emperor he can be for the Northern Empire. In a way, Xiao Yu'an reminds me of Xie Lian from Heaven Official's Blessing. Like Xie Lian, he cares deeply about the common people and does his best to try and improve their lives. And, like Xie Lian, unfortunately everything seems to be working against Xiao Yu'an and conspiring to destroy the kingdom that he is fighting so hard to protect.
I really loved getting to see the way the relationship developed between Yan Heqing and Xiao Yu'an from enemies to friends and then possibly more. The progression felt very natural to me and it was wonderful to see them slowly earn each other's respect and trust. I was also really glad that Xiao Yu'an told Yan Heqing almost immediately that he had transmigrated from another world and that he was not the emperor of the Northern Empire. In so many transmigration stories it seems like the transmigration is just the setup and that plot point fades into the background almost immediately, never to be mentioned again, or at least very rarely mentioned. Its so much more interesting to see how Yan Heqing interacts with Xiao Yu'an as himself rather than in the character of the Northern emperor. I loved seeing how the lovable goofball Xiao Yu'an was able to slowly chip away at Yan Heqing's cold exterior and work his way past even the stoic Southern prince's guard despite his mistrust and hatred toward the Northern Empire. I honestly do not know who could resist loving Xiao Yu'an after getting to know him! He is just SO precious!
The first two thirds of the novel was mostly about Yan Heqing and Xiao Yu'an getting to know each other, and was fairly lighthearted (with some notable exceptions). There wasn't a lot of action, for the most part, though there was a decent amount of court intrigue, politics and harem drama. Regardless, the focus was definitely on the relationship between the two main characters. However, the last part of the novel was full of angst and heartbreak. There were several points where I literally had tears streaming down my face while reading.
I am not someone who is a fan of angst just for the sake of angst and I generally tend to like happy stories. This, however, is very far from being angst just for the sake of it. While it may seem light and somewhat shallow at the beginning, How to Survive as a Villain proves itself to be a complex and deeply moving work of fiction. Though I absolutely loved Golden Terrace, I think that How to Survive as a Villain manages to do something that book was unable to do. Golden Terrace never managed to make me feel invested in the war that was going on in that series or to truly depict the atrocities of war in general. In How to Survive as a Villain, the author managed to make the war seem so impactful and devastating. By showing the perspective of both sides the author truly manages to impress on the reader how violence only leads to more hatred and violence and how its the civilians on both sides who suffer the most in the end. No on wins in war. That may be a cliche sentiment at this point, but that doesn't make it any less true and it could not be more poignantly illustrated than it is in this novel. This story made me feel so much. It made every character, even those who might be perceived as villains, seem like a real person with strong motivations and valid reasons for the things they do.
This is a true tale of tragedy and forbidden love as well as the perils of war and vengeance. It is complex and deeply moving. If you are a fan of danmei, especially of historical novels, I would highly recommend this book! Seriously, please read it! It is wonderful! I cannot wait to find out what happens next! I truly hope with all my heart that there will be a happy ending for Yan Heqing and my precious baby, Xiao Yu'an. Please! Xiao Yu'an deserves all of the happiness in the world!
P.S. Strong trigger warnings for suicide and suicide attempts! This is something that comes up multiple times throughout the novel and is depicted in fairly graphic detail. If this is something that upsets you, then please be kind to yourself and avoid the novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2025
I am traumatized.
I read manhua few years back but boiiiiiiiiiii I was not ready the novel.
I read manhua few years back but boiiiiiiiiiii I was not ready the novel.
July 7, 2024
I love the story and the characters, love the translation and the print quality. Can't wait for volume 2.
July 24, 2025
Xiao Yu'an is the CEO of a large corporation whose family has been trying to mold him into the perfect, domineering leader. Although he excels at his job, his social life is lacking, which bothers his relatives but not him. A rather laid-back boss (who is also an ardent socialist, funnily enough), Xiao Yu'an is content to be single as long as he follows his morals.
Then, he's diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Dying shortly after, he awakens as the debauched emperor of the Northern Empire in a stallion novel he read to distract himself from his sickness. Unfortunately, in this story, the character he possesses is brutally killed by the male lead, Yan Heqing, the prince of the kingdom of Southern Yan, in revenge for the late Northern Emperor's decimation of Yan Heqing's country and family. Settling into his new role quickly, Xiao Yu'an decides to do all he can to save the Northern Empire from destruction at the hands of Yan Heqing and a revitalized Southern Yan while trying to get on the male lead's good side and help him fall in love with Princess Yongning, Xiao Yu'an's younger sister in the novel. However, every time the male and female lead are supposed to meet in the original book, something happens (usually with Xiao Yu'an's influence involved) that prevents the two from carrying out their respective roles and character development. Instead, Xiao Yu'an ends up spending more time with Yan Heqing, whom he begins to consider a friend, while the latter develops deeper feelings for the former. And yet, while the romantic aspects seem to be going off the rails, the political component of the plot continues to unfold as it did in the book, despite Xiao Yu'an's best efforts. Can he remain friends with his former enemy and still rescue his nation from conquest?
The beginning was a little off-putting for me because of the writing style and the slightly clunky translation. The first 10-20 pages rush through Xiao Yu'an's life and death, making his character seem pretty flat. However, once the story starts properly, he truly begins to shine, and his background (which is more emotional than I initially assumed) is slowly revealed over the pages. His laid-back nature throws everyone for a loop, making for some fun interactions. I particularly enjoyed his relationship with his maidservant Hongxiu, who is devoted to her emperor but definitely not heartless. Most of the secondary characters were great, actually: his guard, Yang Liu'an; the military officer Li Wuding; the eager upstart Xie Chungui; Princess Yongning; and, of course, the second male lead, Yan Heqing. Everyone was distinct and memorable, with personalities that made them easy to like.
So, why the three-star rating? Honestly, it came down to the overarching plot and the rushed attempt to develop a relationship between Xiao Yu'an and Yan Heqing. The first half of the book takes a micro view, focusing on shenanigans and political schemes within the Northern Empire's court. Xiao Yu'an constantly tries and fails to make Yan Heqing and Princess Yongning meet and fall in love. At the same time, he hangs out with Yan Heqing, who he makes his personal guard, but it wasn’t enough for me to really buy Yan Heqing's deepening feelings for the emperor. While I enjoyed the interactions between Xiao Yu'an and the various characters around court, it still felt somewhat surface level. All those relationships are shoved to the back burner in the second half of the book though, as the political situation begins to fall apart, and Xiao Yu'an spends almost all of his time trying to put out fires. Somehow, the Northern Empire's struggles and decline also seemed rushed, and when the final clash arrived, I felt it came and went too quickly. Also, there were a few character deaths that caught me off guard and made me mad, so that also dinged my rating for this book.
Despite these drawbacks though, I'm very interested in reading what happens next, especially given where this first installment drops off! Xiao Yu'an and Yan Heqing have the potential for a sweet, fluffy relationship, and I'm also holding out hope that one of the characters who died will miraculously survive. Although this light novel isn't at the same caliber as some of the other, bigger names (e.g., The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, the Husky and His White Cat Shizun, Thousand Autumns), it's still an enjoyable read. If you're looking for a less intense danmei novel, this one should be right up your alley.
Then, he's diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Dying shortly after, he awakens as the debauched emperor of the Northern Empire in a stallion novel he read to distract himself from his sickness. Unfortunately, in this story, the character he possesses is brutally killed by the male lead, Yan Heqing, the prince of the kingdom of Southern Yan, in revenge for the late Northern Emperor's decimation of Yan Heqing's country and family. Settling into his new role quickly, Xiao Yu'an decides to do all he can to save the Northern Empire from destruction at the hands of Yan Heqing and a revitalized Southern Yan while trying to get on the male lead's good side and help him fall in love with Princess Yongning, Xiao Yu'an's younger sister in the novel. However, every time the male and female lead are supposed to meet in the original book, something happens (usually with Xiao Yu'an's influence involved) that prevents the two from carrying out their respective roles and character development. Instead, Xiao Yu'an ends up spending more time with Yan Heqing, whom he begins to consider a friend, while the latter develops deeper feelings for the former. And yet, while the romantic aspects seem to be going off the rails, the political component of the plot continues to unfold as it did in the book, despite Xiao Yu'an's best efforts. Can he remain friends with his former enemy and still rescue his nation from conquest?
The beginning was a little off-putting for me because of the writing style and the slightly clunky translation. The first 10-20 pages rush through Xiao Yu'an's life and death, making his character seem pretty flat. However, once the story starts properly, he truly begins to shine, and his background (which is more emotional than I initially assumed) is slowly revealed over the pages. His laid-back nature throws everyone for a loop, making for some fun interactions. I particularly enjoyed his relationship with his maidservant Hongxiu, who is devoted to her emperor but definitely not heartless. Most of the secondary characters were great, actually: his guard, Yang Liu'an; the military officer Li Wuding; the eager upstart Xie Chungui; Princess Yongning; and, of course, the second male lead, Yan Heqing. Everyone was distinct and memorable, with personalities that made them easy to like.
So, why the three-star rating? Honestly, it came down to the overarching plot and the rushed attempt to develop a relationship between Xiao Yu'an and Yan Heqing. The first half of the book takes a micro view, focusing on shenanigans and political schemes within the Northern Empire's court. Xiao Yu'an constantly tries and fails to make Yan Heqing and Princess Yongning meet and fall in love. At the same time, he hangs out with Yan Heqing, who he makes his personal guard, but it wasn’t enough for me to really buy Yan Heqing's deepening feelings for the emperor. While I enjoyed the interactions between Xiao Yu'an and the various characters around court, it still felt somewhat surface level. All those relationships are shoved to the back burner in the second half of the book though, as the political situation begins to fall apart, and Xiao Yu'an spends almost all of his time trying to put out fires. Somehow, the Northern Empire's struggles and decline also seemed rushed, and when the final clash arrived, I felt it came and went too quickly. Also, there were a few character deaths that caught me off guard and made me mad, so that also dinged my rating for this book.
Despite these drawbacks though, I'm very interested in reading what happens next, especially given where this first installment drops off! Xiao Yu'an and Yan Heqing have the potential for a sweet, fluffy relationship, and I'm also holding out hope that one of the characters who died will miraculously survive. Although this light novel isn't at the same caliber as some of the other, bigger names (e.g., The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, the Husky and His White Cat Shizun, Thousand Autumns), it's still an enjoyable read. If you're looking for a less intense danmei novel, this one should be right up your alley.
January 26, 2025
El manhua es muy bueno, pero la novela!!!!
Hay la novela!!!
Ha sido un viaje impresionante y qué ganas de que podáis leer la versión española. La traducción está muy currada y las ilustraciones interiores son una pasada.
Próximamente ya haré una reseña y os dejaré por aquí el link.
Hay la novela!!!
Ha sido un viaje impresionante y qué ganas de que podáis leer la versión española. La traducción está muy currada y las ilustraciones interiores son una pasada.
Próximamente ya haré una reseña y os dejaré por aquí el link.
May 14, 2025
4.5/5 rounded up. This started out funny and lighthearted and ended up sad and tragic.
Xiao Yu'An despite realizing this is his reality continues to see everything as a story and the people he interacts with as characters until the last possible second. He changed the narrative so throughly but stubbornly adhered to the plot and took the novel as a Bible when nothing was going to go the same way given all the ripple effects he set into motion. It was actually going so well before the attack by the other prince T_T Yan Heqing was adorable in his crush on Xiao Yu'An and Xiao Yu'An basically fangirling over Yan Heqing was hilarious.
Then, Hongxiu happened, and it hurt. Li Wuding and the soldiers broke my heart. Xie Chungui being late by so little broke it further. Even Eunuch Zhao had me crying which I didn't expect; his plea to the heavens was so SAD. Xiao Yu'An basically committing suicide again and in front of Yan Heqing? This man needs to stop seeing death as a solution ffs
I'm eager to see where this story goes and how XY and YH manage to mend this complicated web of misunderstandings.
Xiao Yu'An despite realizing this is his reality continues to see everything as a story and the people he interacts with as characters until the last possible second. He changed the narrative so throughly but stubbornly adhered to the plot and took the novel as a Bible when nothing was going to go the same way given all the ripple effects he set into motion. It was actually going so well before the attack by the other prince T_T Yan Heqing was adorable in his crush on Xiao Yu'An and Xiao Yu'An basically fangirling over Yan Heqing was hilarious.
Then, Hongxiu happened, and it hurt. Li Wuding and the soldiers broke my heart. Xie Chungui being late by so little broke it further. Even Eunuch Zhao had me crying which I didn't expect; his plea to the heavens was so SAD. Xiao Yu'An basically committing suicide again and in front of Yan Heqing? This man needs to stop seeing death as a solution ffs
I'm eager to see where this story goes and how XY and YH manage to mend this complicated web of misunderstandings.
February 2, 2025
This was so unexpectedly heart-wrenching?! I went into this webnovel pretty blind, and man am I impressed. The characters and court politics were more complex than I was anticipating, and I thoroughly enjoyed this first volume.
January 11, 2026
wtf, how come almost all the danmei I've read recently has caught me off guard with how good it is? at this point I'm auto-buying all danmei releases because of how high the average quality is. When I started this, I thought it was just a fun little story with little emotional impact, where even heavy topics are treated with levity, and yet by the end of it I shed some tears. What the hell. What an emotional journey.
February 19, 2025
First half of the book: lmao Xiao Yu'an messed with the plot and turned everyone gay
Second half of the book: *uncontrollable sobbing*
Second half of the book: *uncontrollable sobbing*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2026
c’était trop bien ???
je suis absolument dévastée de la fin, il me faut la suite, je dois attendre plus de 2 mois ? je vais pas survivre
je suis absolument dévastée de la fin, il me faut la suite, je dois attendre plus de 2 mois ? je vais pas survivre
May 21, 2025
Dang.
Alright.
So I really love that this was fast paced, enjoyable and silly, and then the last few chapters just kinda smacked me across the face. Now I'm stuck waiting for volume 2.
I really enjoyed everything volume one brought to the table, including how enjoyable all the side characters were and how heavy the death of certain characters were handled. Some parts also felt like a love letter to other danmei, quoting a specific line where the MC "didn't know whether to laugh or cry".
Would highly recommend for danmei readers looking from something to fill the void - but also for fans who love enemies to lovers to enemies to probably lovers again. And maybe tragic gays too. :"))))
Alright.
So I really love that this was fast paced, enjoyable and silly, and then the last few chapters just kinda smacked me across the face. Now I'm stuck waiting for volume 2.
I really enjoyed everything volume one brought to the table, including how enjoyable all the side characters were and how heavy the death of certain characters were handled. Some parts also felt like a love letter to other danmei, quoting a specific line where the MC "didn't know whether to laugh or cry".
Would highly recommend for danmei readers looking from something to fill the void - but also for fans who love enemies to lovers to enemies to probably lovers again. And maybe tragic gays too. :"))))
July 14, 2024
um, the ending??? hello, what happened.
December 30, 2025
4,25⭐️
•
Est-ce que c’est objectivement pas ouf ? Franchement y’a débat
Est ce que je recommande ? Pas sûr
Est-ce que je me suis bien marrée ? Totalement
Est-ce que j’ai passé un super moment ? De fouuuuuu
Conclusion ? Chais pas 🤣
•
En gros on part sur une histoire de réincarnation classique de WEBTOON : le gars se retrouve projeté dans le roman qu’il lisait avant sa mort ☠️ Une « stallion romance » (à ce stade j’étais bébé en panique en mode « dans quoi je m’embarque là ?! » 😱 Et oui, j’avoue, j’ai clairement dû googlelisé le terme 🤣🤣)
•
Bon déjà, je vous rassure d’emblée ça part PAS en « stallion romance » 🐎 (Pfiouuuuu) et ensuite c’est TRÈS drôle pour 2 raisons :
•
Raison numéro 1 : le perso principal est complètement fou mais vraiment 🤣 Il est perché de chez perché, il cite des poèmes/chansons à tour de bras juste pour reprendre la rime de fin du gars qui lui parle, il est en mode « lalalala allons voir la rencontre des protagonistes » alors même que dorénavant il a un empire à gérer, c’est un gamino de 6 ans qui passe sa meilleure nouvelle vie de zieuteur 🤣 Bref, c’est un bonheur d’être dans sa tête👌🏻
•
Raison numéro 2 : l’autrice est clairement dans la parodie des romances à trope, vraiment elle se fout de leur gueule cash et elle y va pas par 4 chemins 🤣 Dès le chapitre 1 elle balance tous les clichés des romances de type « PDG tyrannique » , « shu » (j’ai aussi dû googelisé ce terme 🤦🏼♀️) et on y retrouve des références tout le long du roman 👀
•
Bref c’est un WEBTOON transposé en roman mais au vu de comment je me suis fait avoir sur la deuxième partie j’ai envie de dire « MAIS PAS QUE » 🤯 Bref, j’ai hâte de lire la suite 😇
•
Est-ce que c’est objectivement pas ouf ? Franchement y’a débat
Est ce que je recommande ? Pas sûr
Est-ce que je me suis bien marrée ? Totalement
Est-ce que j’ai passé un super moment ? De fouuuuuu
Conclusion ? Chais pas 🤣
•
En gros on part sur une histoire de réincarnation classique de WEBTOON : le gars se retrouve projeté dans le roman qu’il lisait avant sa mort ☠️ Une « stallion romance » (à ce stade j’étais bébé en panique en mode « dans quoi je m’embarque là ?! » 😱 Et oui, j’avoue, j’ai clairement dû googlelisé le terme 🤣🤣)
•
Bon déjà, je vous rassure d’emblée ça part PAS en « stallion romance » 🐎 (Pfiouuuuu) et ensuite c’est TRÈS drôle pour 2 raisons :
•
Raison numéro 1 : le perso principal est complètement fou mais vraiment 🤣 Il est perché de chez perché, il cite des poèmes/chansons à tour de bras juste pour reprendre la rime de fin du gars qui lui parle, il est en mode « lalalala allons voir la rencontre des protagonistes » alors même que dorénavant il a un empire à gérer, c’est un gamino de 6 ans qui passe sa meilleure nouvelle vie de zieuteur 🤣 Bref, c’est un bonheur d’être dans sa tête👌🏻
•
Raison numéro 2 : l’autrice est clairement dans la parodie des romances à trope, vraiment elle se fout de leur gueule cash et elle y va pas par 4 chemins 🤣 Dès le chapitre 1 elle balance tous les clichés des romances de type « PDG tyrannique » , « shu » (j’ai aussi dû googelisé ce terme 🤦🏼♀️) et on y retrouve des références tout le long du roman 👀
•
Bref c’est un WEBTOON transposé en roman mais au vu de comment je me suis fait avoir sur la deuxième partie j’ai envie de dire « MAIS PAS QUE » 🤯 Bref, j’ai hâte de lire la suite 😇
December 31, 2025
C’est quoi cet OVNI ?
Franchement, j’ai passé 75% du livre à rire tranquillement face au BOULET INTERSIDÉRAL qu’est le personnage principal. Déjà, il est très drôle et c’est le mec le moins lucide du monde ! Pour faire court, c’est un PDG chinois qui meurt et se réincarne dans l’antagoniste de son roman préf, à savoir l’empereur du Nord. Bref. Il essaie de s’attirer les faveurs du Protagoniste du roman (aka le prince du Sud qu’il a fait prisonnier) pour éviter que celui-ci le tue.
Donc ça commence comme un roman comique WTF avec l’autrice qui tourne en dérision tous les tropes de romance de dramas asiatiques. Puis ça continue sur un roman où on sent clairement l’adaptation d’un WEBTOON (ou manhua) dans le rythme de la narration et les running gags (sérieusement, j’avais les planches et les dessins en tête en lisant). On est entre la romance mim’s avec le héros clueless et l’humour des situations improbables… le gros point fort, ce sont les pensées du héros (les “cheat codes du Protagoniste” etc.).
Et puis, vers 75%, TOUT PART EN VRILLE ! L’autrice s’est sans doute dit “tiens, si on se mettait à écrire un drame historique tragique”. Pardon ? J’étais pas prête !
Tout ça pour finir en plus sur un FUCKING CLIFFHANGER! OK. Message reçue : l’autrice est sadique avec ses personnages ET son lectorat.
Un OVNI, ce bouquin, je vous dis…
Franchement, j’ai passé 75% du livre à rire tranquillement face au BOULET INTERSIDÉRAL qu’est le personnage principal. Déjà, il est très drôle et c’est le mec le moins lucide du monde ! Pour faire court, c’est un PDG chinois qui meurt et se réincarne dans l’antagoniste de son roman préf, à savoir l’empereur du Nord. Bref. Il essaie de s’attirer les faveurs du Protagoniste du roman (aka le prince du Sud qu’il a fait prisonnier) pour éviter que celui-ci le tue.
Donc ça commence comme un roman comique WTF avec l’autrice qui tourne en dérision tous les tropes de romance de dramas asiatiques. Puis ça continue sur un roman où on sent clairement l’adaptation d’un WEBTOON (ou manhua) dans le rythme de la narration et les running gags (sérieusement, j’avais les planches et les dessins en tête en lisant). On est entre la romance mim’s avec le héros clueless et l’humour des situations improbables… le gros point fort, ce sont les pensées du héros (les “cheat codes du Protagoniste” etc.).
Et puis, vers 75%, TOUT PART EN VRILLE ! L’autrice s’est sans doute dit “tiens, si on se mettait à écrire un drame historique tragique”. Pardon ? J’étais pas prête !
Tout ça pour finir en plus sur un FUCKING CLIFFHANGER! OK. Message reçue : l’autrice est sadique avec ses personnages ET son lectorat.
Un OVNI, ce bouquin, je vous dis…
July 2, 2025
4
this novel is fun. it’s a bit mid for the first half of this initial volume because it’s all hehe haha and making jokes about classic cdrama/webnovel tropes without meaningfully engaging with the characters. but you start to see the denial of the main character dissolve as he realizes his actions matter and affect real people. and that’s when shit gets good!
the overall novel plot is quite tragic—it’s very much a “fate is cruel” kind of storyline where the world is really against our lovers. and there are some misunderstandings along the way because fate and other characters are cruel. but there’s some excellent emotional payoff to come. lots of angst in this volume but it’s a set-up worth investing in.
this novel is fun. it’s a bit mid for the first half of this initial volume because it’s all hehe haha and making jokes about classic cdrama/webnovel tropes without meaningfully engaging with the characters. but you start to see the denial of the main character dissolve as he realizes his actions matter and affect real people. and that’s when shit gets good!
the overall novel plot is quite tragic—it’s very much a “fate is cruel” kind of storyline where the world is really against our lovers. and there are some misunderstandings along the way because fate and other characters are cruel. but there’s some excellent emotional payoff to come. lots of angst in this volume but it’s a set-up worth investing in.
May 14, 2025
I had a hard problem getting into this book and relating to the main character. I was finding myself not really wanting to pick this up. Will try again when I have book 2 and 3 in my hands.
February 7, 2025
A literary masterpiece unbeknownst to the Western man
May 23, 2025
From comedy to serious tragedy without a trace of the earlier silly humor. I loved it, especially the moment when Xiao Yu'an finally realized that he wasn't just an outsider in the world from the novel he was reading before he died, but a real person in a real war-torn world - and that every action he took and choice he made changed the plot he knew into a future that couldn't be predicted.
September 1, 2024
Well i thought this will be a nice, maybe fun read, but hey, it ripped out my heart and trampled on it :D and it probably will, because there are still two books missing.
It starts like any other transmgiration novel, killing himself in our world and whoops, he's in a stallion web novel as the emperor, that will be killed by the hand of the stallion harem collecting male protagonist.
There is some part, where Xiao is a... domineering CEO in his former life, and hes spouting those CEO lines all the time in over the half of the book, and I really didn't get the humour? I guess it's a chinese thing maybe. And he always talked in front of the book chars of main female lead etc., which was a bit ???? i mean, he's the emperor okay, but if the emperor of a country spouts nonesense all the time, wouldn't the people try to get him off the throne? I dunno.
I kind off would have liked the stor ymore, without the transmigration stuff, but well whatever.
The first half of the book is sweet, Xiao tries to change the story of the book, save people who are dying in the novel, and ofc tries to get on the good side of the MC, whos destined to kill him. It's really nice, like.. it's all so cute, but there's this whole underlying... thing.. like.. will it really work?
Suprise at the 70% mark it suddenly turns so.fucking.dark. Like holy shit, i didn't expected THAT plot twist to happen. I loved it, but also ... ;_; hrng.
I really doubt this will end with a happy end? I'm really curious, because.. ugh. It's well written and you can understand all the characters and their decisions in a land full of war or eminent war.
The worst (and best because drama) is to see all the efforts Xiao Yuan makes to change the story, but .. it probably turns even worse for him and the ones he wants to save.
It starts like any other transmgiration novel, killing himself in our world and whoops, he's in a stallion web novel as the emperor, that will be killed by the hand of the stallion harem collecting male protagonist.
There is some part, where Xiao is a... domineering CEO in his former life, and hes spouting those CEO lines all the time in over the half of the book, and I really didn't get the humour? I guess it's a chinese thing maybe. And he always talked in front of the book chars of main female lead etc., which was a bit ???? i mean, he's the emperor okay, but if the emperor of a country spouts nonesense all the time, wouldn't the people try to get him off the throne? I dunno.
I kind off would have liked the stor ymore, without the transmigration stuff, but well whatever.
The first half of the book is sweet, Xiao tries to change the story of the book, save people who are dying in the novel, and ofc tries to get on the good side of the MC, whos destined to kill him. It's really nice, like.. it's all so cute, but there's this whole underlying... thing.. like.. will it really work?
Suprise at the 70% mark it suddenly turns so.fucking.dark. Like holy shit, i didn't expected THAT plot twist to happen. I loved it, but also ... ;_; hrng.
I really doubt this will end with a happy end? I'm really curious, because.. ugh. It's well written and you can understand all the characters and their decisions in a land full of war or eminent war.
The worst (and best because drama) is to see all the efforts Xiao Yuan makes to change the story, but .. it probably turns even worse for him and the ones he wants to save.
January 30, 2025
I was not expecting this to become a favorite.
The overall plotline is about Xiao Yu'an, a handsome young CEO who tries his best to follow his family's expectations that he become a domineering CEO with the perfectly appropriate wife, family, and future. Unfortunately, all of the matchmaking attempts fail - he has no interest in any of them, female or male - and he turns out to have an incurable disease that ends his life abruptly. He's reborn into a historical novel he'd been reading after his diagnosis, about a conflict between four nations.
Unfortunately, he's reborn as the emperor who's tortured and killed by the protagonist, a prince who'd been captured by his nation and returned to take his country's revenge and unite the four nations under his rule.
The first...half, maybe, of this volume is very funny, with Xiao Yu'an doing his best to keep the novel's main plot points intact, while twisting events just enough to ensure his own survival. For instance, he does his best to keep his sister's meet cute with the captive prince intact, and to treat the prince more kindly so that he (a) turns that relationship into endgame happiness instead of a tragic first love and (b) views the emperor and the kingdom with a bit more mercy so he doesn't devastate it when he inevitably conquers the land.
Unfortunately, Xiao Yu'an being kind to the captive prince means Yan Heqing inevitably falls in love with him instead...although Xiao Yu'an never realizes this is happening. He's too caught up in all his plots and attempts to be a good ruler for his kingdom and his people.
The tone shifts...gradually, but still unexpectedly for me, becoming an absolutely devastating story about fate and heartbreak, the heavy burden of kingship, and the consequences of one's decisions and actions. This mirrors, in some ways, Xiao Yu'an's description of the original novel, which had started out as a certain type of story and then generated the readers' rage as it transitioned into something that felt entirely different. What a cruel author!
Except everything really does lead naturally to the devastating conclusion of this volume. It's not as though Xiao Yu'an's original backstory was heartwarming in any way. As he tells Yan Heqing at one point - unexpectedly revealing his reborn status fairly early on - he'd been born as the illegitimate son of a wealthy and powerful CEO, and had been discarded with his mother and his crippled brother until the CEO's infidelity had let to his wife kicking him in the balls and leaving him unable to produce other heirs. His mother had already taken her own life at that point, and his brother - discarded by their father because of his health - grew up hating him. Then his own life ended early.
So his second life was a second chance of happiness...except he was born to die again, young and tragically, to fuel someone else's story.
Really, all the humor was just padding to slide you into a story where it's difficult to see a happy ending. But I feel it must end up there?
The romance between Xiao Yu'an and Yan Heqing is such an incredibly beautiful slowburn. It's Romeo and Juliet in a way that really matters, with each of them having to choose between a single person and their entire nation.
Unfortunately, when Xiao Yu'an chooses to let Yan Heqing live, he not only sets the novel's events in motion, he ends up dooming other characters who'd survived the conflicts and lived on after - because of his kindness and goodness as an emperor, he'd earned their loyalty, meaning they died fighting to protect him, instead of betraying him to live in peace.
That's devastating, too, and he's fully aware that it's his fault.
There's something so wrenching, too, about the concept of a leader prioritizing his country and his people, and being entirely willing to sacrifice himself for their good and their safety. When he walks out into the snow, approaching the enemy camp with the seal to the city and his life in exchange for his sister's life and that of all the people still sheltered inside....well, I genuinely sobbed through basically the entirety of the last couple chapters. And then seeing Yan Heqing's internal battle as he struggles to balance his duty to his country and his intense love for the enemy emperor, plus the parallel between the snow leopard that he'd loved as a child and had to release for its own well-being...
Like I said, it's really difficult for me to see how they can come out of this with their love and their lives intact, but I very much look forward to finding out. Just hope there isn't too much of a delay with the second volume.
The overall plotline is about Xiao Yu'an, a handsome young CEO who tries his best to follow his family's expectations that he become a domineering CEO with the perfectly appropriate wife, family, and future. Unfortunately, all of the matchmaking attempts fail - he has no interest in any of them, female or male - and he turns out to have an incurable disease that ends his life abruptly. He's reborn into a historical novel he'd been reading after his diagnosis, about a conflict between four nations.
Unfortunately, he's reborn as the emperor who's tortured and killed by the protagonist, a prince who'd been captured by his nation and returned to take his country's revenge and unite the four nations under his rule.
The first...half, maybe, of this volume is very funny, with Xiao Yu'an doing his best to keep the novel's main plot points intact, while twisting events just enough to ensure his own survival. For instance, he does his best to keep his sister's meet cute with the captive prince intact, and to treat the prince more kindly so that he (a) turns that relationship into endgame happiness instead of a tragic first love and (b) views the emperor and the kingdom with a bit more mercy so he doesn't devastate it when he inevitably conquers the land.
Unfortunately, Xiao Yu'an being kind to the captive prince means Yan Heqing inevitably falls in love with him instead...although Xiao Yu'an never realizes this is happening. He's too caught up in all his plots and attempts to be a good ruler for his kingdom and his people.
The tone shifts...gradually, but still unexpectedly for me, becoming an absolutely devastating story about fate and heartbreak, the heavy burden of kingship, and the consequences of one's decisions and actions. This mirrors, in some ways, Xiao Yu'an's description of the original novel, which had started out as a certain type of story and then generated the readers' rage as it transitioned into something that felt entirely different. What a cruel author!
Except everything really does lead naturally to the devastating conclusion of this volume. It's not as though Xiao Yu'an's original backstory was heartwarming in any way. As he tells Yan Heqing at one point - unexpectedly revealing his reborn status fairly early on - he'd been born as the illegitimate son of a wealthy and powerful CEO, and had been discarded with his mother and his crippled brother until the CEO's infidelity had let to his wife kicking him in the balls and leaving him unable to produce other heirs. His mother had already taken her own life at that point, and his brother - discarded by their father because of his health - grew up hating him. Then his own life ended early.
So his second life was a second chance of happiness...except he was born to die again, young and tragically, to fuel someone else's story.
Really, all the humor was just padding to slide you into a story where it's difficult to see a happy ending. But I feel it must end up there?
The romance between Xiao Yu'an and Yan Heqing is such an incredibly beautiful slowburn. It's Romeo and Juliet in a way that really matters, with each of them having to choose between a single person and their entire nation.
Unfortunately, when Xiao Yu'an chooses to let Yan Heqing live, he not only sets the novel's events in motion, he ends up dooming other characters who'd survived the conflicts and lived on after - because of his kindness and goodness as an emperor, he'd earned their loyalty, meaning they died fighting to protect him, instead of betraying him to live in peace.
That's devastating, too, and he's fully aware that it's his fault.
There's something so wrenching, too, about the concept of a leader prioritizing his country and his people, and being entirely willing to sacrifice himself for their good and their safety. When he walks out into the snow, approaching the enemy camp with the seal to the city and his life in exchange for his sister's life and that of all the people still sheltered inside....well, I genuinely sobbed through basically the entirety of the last couple chapters. And then seeing Yan Heqing's internal battle as he struggles to balance his duty to his country and his intense love for the enemy emperor, plus the parallel between the snow leopard that he'd loved as a child and had to release for its own well-being...
Like I said, it's really difficult for me to see how they can come out of this with their love and their lives intact, but I very much look forward to finding out. Just hope there isn't too much of a delay with the second volume.
November 7, 2024
It's a lighthearted novel with hilarious and sad moments. Sometimes the MC has funny comments on the people and the events. The story is interesting, there wasn't a boring moment when I wanted to put down the book. However, some plot elements are quite cliché, e.g. Xiao Yu'An falling into the pond instead of the female lead. It's a typical turn of events in transmigration stories so it was extremely predictable.
The writing style is entertaining even if the reader can be sure that despite all the hardships the characters go through everything will turn out for the best. Since this is a lighthearted story meant to entertain and relax while reading a good story, so it's not meant to be unique but interesting enough to read. And the author achieved that objective quite well. There're some abrupt scene changes within the chapters but it's still easy to follow the plot, it's not confusing. The fight scenes are not really detailed and some even feel unreal because I can't get immersed in them since they're too unbelievable, too beginner-level writing. But then again, this is a lighthearted story for entertainment, not a war epic so it can be forgiven. Not that I wouldn't have appreciated a better-written fight since because I would've.
Sadly, the characters are a bit one-dimensional but they're still likeable, and those who aren't... They weren't meant to be liked in the first place that's why they're the antagonists.
I really liked the background story of Xiao Fengyue and Yang Liuan. Their past is so touching and sad. They're a side couple I'm definitely rooting for. They're such good people, they deserve happiness. As opposed to Qin Yu, whose story is just as devastating since he was an Imperial Guard on his way to become an Official, when he caught the eyes of the Emperor, who chose him to become one of his concubines, so his dreams of becoming an Official were shattered completely. He spent several years living as a concubine before the MC transmigrates to this story. This would make anyone bitter and vengeful but still, the methods he used to change his fate are just unacceptable since he tries to hurt even the innocent without a second thought to reach his goals. Xiao Fengyue's past is actually a great contrast to Qin Yu's since they had a similar fate but with vastly different outcomes. The other side couple, Princess Yongning and Xiao Pingyang is also a cute, albeit one-dimensional couple.
Despite this story being simple and the characters one-dimensional, their feelings are portrayed really well. When they're happy, we can easily laugh with them and share their joy. But when they're sad... It's simply devastating. For example, Li Wuding's reason for joining the army so he wouldn't starve to death like his parents and siblings did because only the army got grains due to the famine during the war was heartbreaking to read. And I was just as sad when Hong Xiu died as Xiao Yu'An himself. I could easily picture myself in that situation and feel how he must have felt when he saw her dying. I even got tears in my eyes when reading that. But actually, this wasn't the saddest part. The saddest part was when Xiao Yu'An couldn't be sure about Yan Heqing's betrayal and he told Yan Heqing that:
"You should call me 'Your Majesty' from now on."
It was a simple statement but considering their relationship and how he never called him like that we can feel the distance he is putting between them. Either because he thinks Yan Heqing betrayed him or because he doesn't but thinks he can protect him if they stay away from each other.
The relationship development between the MC and the ML is depicted quite well. All those little details showing the growing trust between the main characters feel natural, e.g. when Yan Heqing gets poisoned since he ate the poisoned porridge because he was told that Xiao Yu'An had sent it to him. But paradoxically, their relationship develops a bit too fast, at least on Yan Heqing's side, thus his deep love for the Emperor feels a bit sudden because it wasn't elaborated on that much. But we still get some sweet moments between them like listening to the birds chirping in the early morning or eating and drinking at night. But perhaps the sweetest, and at the same time saddest moment was when Yan Heqing asked Xiao Yu'An why he had to be reborn as the Emperor to which Xiao Yu'An replied with:
"I don't know, maybe... It was so I could meet you..."
Who wouldn't want to hear something like that? Anyway, this novel is worth reading. It may have some flaws but it's still better than many other novels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2025
While I enjoyed book 1, I unfortunately suspect that overall I will find this series relatively "meh."
The Plot: The plot is extremely cliche - which I actually don't have a problem with. I absolutely love reading different interpretations of common tropes. This novel is your fairly typical transmitigation plot, although I find the impetus for the main character (MC) to be zapped into a webnovel is quite a bit darker than most . Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that this darkness is ever really explored all that much, but I'll discuss that in the characters section. After that, the plot revolves around the MC getting closer and closer to characters, discovering that many of them have hidden depths and actually lend further detail to the MCs knowledge of the original story. All while trying, in general, to get closer to the main lead (ML) so he doesn't get killed later down the line. When the story begins to change specifically for the individual characters (but not the overarching plot) is when we see the MC begin to spiral. Again, nothing I haven't read before, but it's overall fine. The only thing that makes this transmitigation story different than any I've read is that . Unfortunately I don't think it really made any difference to the plot or really brought the MC and ML closer.
This book does end on a massive cliffhanger, and I absolutely hated it. I do *not* like cliffhangers, and I am uncertain if this was the choice of the publisher, translator, or author, but given how long it can be between books I don't enjoy emotional manipulation to get me to buy another book. It's the main reason I've docked a star for this book.
Characters: The characters themselves are also nothing particularly special. To be honest, neither the MC or the ML really seem to develop true in-depth personalities. They're just quite shallow. There seem to be a lot of hints where something deeper could be developed, such as the MCs inner darkness, but this is instead tossed aside in favor of an insanely clueless MC. If you find it annoying when characters refuse (at all costs) to see that the ML is interested in them, this is not the story for you (it gets much worse after the first novel). Given that the MC is perfectly open to any sexual identity and not in the closet in any way from page 1, it is frankly bizarre and I think meant to be comedic but it didn't really work. The ML on the other hand is your typical stoic strong guy with a tragic past and a grudge against the MC. I don't feel any of his emotions or experiences ever get discussed beyond a paragraph, but his frustration towards the MC is well done. The side characters actually shine much more for me. The servant girl is delightful, the soldier characters are developed well, and the two side couples (one of whom is a lesbian couple!!) are lovely even if fairly simplistic.
The Writing: So, overall, it's fine but not my preferred style. It's *similar* but does not fully achieve the lighthearted attitude shown in The Disabled Tyrants Beloved Pet Fish. So many more serious things happen, so the comedic attempts generally fell flat for me. But it was an easy style to read the and the pages flew by.
Overall, I feel I've been relatively harsh in my review but I *did* enjoy reading it. It's pretty light for the majority, getting more serious towards the end. Unfortunately, from what I've read ahead, I'm pretty disappointed with the direction the remaining two novels will go in, but I don't want my review of Vol.1 to be too colored by that.
The Plot: The plot is extremely cliche - which I actually don't have a problem with. I absolutely love reading different interpretations of common tropes. This novel is your fairly typical transmitigation plot, although I find the impetus for the main character (MC) to be zapped into a webnovel is quite a bit darker than most . Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that this darkness is ever really explored all that much, but I'll discuss that in the characters section. After that, the plot revolves around the MC getting closer and closer to characters, discovering that many of them have hidden depths and actually lend further detail to the MCs knowledge of the original story. All while trying, in general, to get closer to the main lead (ML) so he doesn't get killed later down the line. When the story begins to change specifically for the individual characters (but not the overarching plot) is when we see the MC begin to spiral. Again, nothing I haven't read before, but it's overall fine. The only thing that makes this transmitigation story different than any I've read is that . Unfortunately I don't think it really made any difference to the plot or really brought the MC and ML closer.
This book does end on a massive cliffhanger, and I absolutely hated it. I do *not* like cliffhangers, and I am uncertain if this was the choice of the publisher, translator, or author, but given how long it can be between books I don't enjoy emotional manipulation to get me to buy another book. It's the main reason I've docked a star for this book.
Characters: The characters themselves are also nothing particularly special. To be honest, neither the MC or the ML really seem to develop true in-depth personalities. They're just quite shallow. There seem to be a lot of hints where something deeper could be developed, such as the MCs inner darkness, but this is instead tossed aside in favor of an insanely clueless MC. If you find it annoying when characters refuse (at all costs) to see that the ML is interested in them, this is not the story for you (it gets much worse after the first novel). Given that the MC is perfectly open to any sexual identity and not in the closet in any way from page 1, it is frankly bizarre and I think meant to be comedic but it didn't really work. The ML on the other hand is your typical stoic strong guy with a tragic past and a grudge against the MC. I don't feel any of his emotions or experiences ever get discussed beyond a paragraph, but his frustration towards the MC is well done. The side characters actually shine much more for me. The servant girl is delightful, the soldier characters are developed well, and the two side couples (one of whom is a lesbian couple!!) are lovely even if fairly simplistic.
The Writing: So, overall, it's fine but not my preferred style. It's *similar* but does not fully achieve the lighthearted attitude shown in The Disabled Tyrants Beloved Pet Fish. So many more serious things happen, so the comedic attempts generally fell flat for me. But it was an easy style to read the and the pages flew by.
Overall, I feel I've been relatively harsh in my review but I *did* enjoy reading it. It's pretty light for the majority, getting more serious towards the end. Unfortunately, from what I've read ahead, I'm pretty disappointed with the direction the remaining two novels will go in, but I don't want my review of Vol.1 to be too colored by that.
May 30, 2025
It starts strong and the first chapter is actually quite funny in the way it deals with popular and sometimes nonsensical tropes found in romance novels, so I expected that the rest of the novel would be similar or at least self aware of these tropes. Unfortunately, once the transmigration happens it falls flat and prey to the very tropes it made fun in the beginning.
I found myself annoyed sometimes at the main character, at how he would quote popular references at random times or how oblivious he was both to the changes that he himself brought to the original novel or his attempts to pair the ML with the love interests from the original novel even though there were clear signs that neither was interested in the other. Also, the ML falls too quickly in love with the MC and their interactions sometimes lack depth. This is even more strange as the MC is described as a competent CEO in his original world.
There were some very touching scenes in the later half once the war starts with some memorable side characters, that made me wish more time was spent with them rather than with the protagonists (the MCs personal maid, Hong Xiu, Li Wuding, Xie Chungui, hell even eunuch Zhao became a sympathetic character and given the fate and threats to the Northen kingdom his actions made sense) and on the political intrigue. Regarding this last topic there is also a missed opportunity in showing the consequences of what can happen when the transmigrator cannot fit the role of the person he takes the place. While some may argue that given that the Northern kingdom still falls such a point was proven, but the novel brushes it off and doesn't dwell into it (rather it presents it as something inevitable regardless of the MC actions to prevent - like the sudden attacks on the frontier from third parties or how Lu Wuding attempt to steal the rations of the southern troops is discovered by Yan Heqing just because the flute fell in a certain way) which again ties in with the dissatisfaction brought by the way the political intrigue was dealt. In short there is little world building which in consequence translates into a shallow world that doesn't really seem lived in.
The constant attempts at humour sometimes works against the novel and seriousness of some scenes. An example would be a scene that starts very emotional with the MC surrendering the city in hopes of saving the people which leads to him being captured. Then suddenly there are some jokes in his internal monologue regarding how a soldier was treating him. That was very tonal deaf.
I tried reading the second volume, because there were at times elements that I liked and I wanted to see if there was an explanation on why the transmigration happened or why it seemed as if fate itself was working against the Northern K=kingdom during the war, but after a few chapters I couldn't deal with the constant miscommunication and misunderstandings between the leads.
I really wanted to like this novel and like I said before it stars really strong with some quite interesting side characters . Unfortunately the lack of proper building of the world and the relationship between the main characters made me not want to read the next instalments.
Also, to me this is the kind of situation where I believe these people shouldn't be together. Yan Heqing has suffered a lot from the actions of the previous rulers of the Northern kingdom so his desire for revenge is understandable, but Xiao Yu'an also loses a lot as a consequence. The situation isn't helped by the fact that a part of the story in the first volume is told from the perspective of people in the Northern kingdom and inevitably sympathy is build towards them and their plight.
I found myself annoyed sometimes at the main character, at how he would quote popular references at random times or how oblivious he was both to the changes that he himself brought to the original novel or his attempts to pair the ML with the love interests from the original novel even though there were clear signs that neither was interested in the other. Also, the ML falls too quickly in love with the MC and their interactions sometimes lack depth. This is even more strange as the MC is described as a competent CEO in his original world.
There were some very touching scenes in the later half once the war starts with some memorable side characters, that made me wish more time was spent with them rather than with the protagonists (the MCs personal maid, Hong Xiu, Li Wuding, Xie Chungui, hell even eunuch Zhao became a sympathetic character and given the fate and threats to the Northen kingdom his actions made sense) and on the political intrigue. Regarding this last topic there is also a missed opportunity in showing the consequences of what can happen when the transmigrator cannot fit the role of the person he takes the place. While some may argue that given that the Northern kingdom still falls such a point was proven, but the novel brushes it off and doesn't dwell into it (rather it presents it as something inevitable regardless of the MC actions to prevent - like the sudden attacks on the frontier from third parties or how Lu Wuding attempt to steal the rations of the southern troops is discovered by Yan Heqing just because the flute fell in a certain way) which again ties in with the dissatisfaction brought by the way the political intrigue was dealt. In short there is little world building which in consequence translates into a shallow world that doesn't really seem lived in.
The constant attempts at humour sometimes works against the novel and seriousness of some scenes. An example would be a scene that starts very emotional with the MC surrendering the city in hopes of saving the people which leads to him being captured. Then suddenly there are some jokes in his internal monologue regarding how a soldier was treating him. That was very tonal deaf.
I tried reading the second volume, because there were at times elements that I liked and I wanted to see if there was an explanation on why the transmigration happened or why it seemed as if fate itself was working against the Northern K=kingdom during the war, but after a few chapters I couldn't deal with the constant miscommunication and misunderstandings between the leads.
I really wanted to like this novel and like I said before it stars really strong with some quite interesting side characters . Unfortunately the lack of proper building of the world and the relationship between the main characters made me not want to read the next instalments.
Also, to me this is the kind of situation where I believe these people shouldn't be together. Yan Heqing has suffered a lot from the actions of the previous rulers of the Northern kingdom so his desire for revenge is understandable, but Xiao Yu'an also loses a lot as a consequence. The situation isn't helped by the fact that a part of the story in the first volume is told from the perspective of people in the Northern kingdom and inevitably sympathy is build towards them and their plight.
December 15, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, honestly, wow.
I originally read the manhwa first, and while I did enjoy it, the novel added so much more depth. The manhwa feels a bit lighter and less angsty, whereas the novel really leans into the emotional weight, internal thoughts, and added details. Even though I already knew the events, there were still moments in the novel that genuinely shocked me.
Because of this experience, I think going forward, if a story has both a novel and a manhwa, I’ll probably read the novel first and then the manhwa afterward especially for heavier stories so I can enjoy a lighter, more visual version later.
I will say, the first chapter or so is a bit slow. It feels like necessary setup more than anything else. But once the transmigration happens, that’s when the story really starts to shine. That’s also when Xiao Yu’an, the Northern Emperor, becomes a much more interesting and engaging main character.
One thing I really appreciated about the novel, especially compared to the manhwa, is how much attention is given to side characters. The manhwa focuses mainly on Xiao Yu’an and Yan Heqing, but the novel expands outward. You get to see other characters’ backstories, their thought processes, and the reasoning behind their actions.
For example, characters like Eunuch Zhao and Nie Er could easily be viewed as cold or unlikable at first glance. But the novel shows that much of what they do comes from dedication to their country, their people, or their duty. Seeing those motivations really changed how I viewed them. Honestly, by the end of this volume, there weren’t many characters I outright disliked. Even when their actions weren’t desirable, they felt understandable.
As someone who’s still fairly new to danmei, I also really appreciated the pacing of the romance. It doesn’t feel rushed or exaggerated. The emotions build naturally over time, which made it feel more realistic and meaningful.
⚠️ Minor spoiler:
There isn’t much in the way of overt romance in this first volume. It’s only toward the end that it’s revealed that Yan Heqing may be in love with Xiao Yu’an, and even then, it’s subtle. Personally, I loved that. I don’t enjoy rushed romance, and this slow buildup made me more invested in what’s to come.
Overall, How to Survive as a Villain Volume 1 was a really strong introduction. The novel adds emotional depth, character complexity, and nuance that I didn’t fully get from the manhwa alone. I’m very much looking forward to Volume 2 and seeing how the story continues and how it compares to the comic moving forward.
Oh minor details, at minimum it brought tears to my eyes at least 3 times. A good beginner read for Danmei.
I originally read the manhwa first, and while I did enjoy it, the novel added so much more depth. The manhwa feels a bit lighter and less angsty, whereas the novel really leans into the emotional weight, internal thoughts, and added details. Even though I already knew the events, there were still moments in the novel that genuinely shocked me.
Because of this experience, I think going forward, if a story has both a novel and a manhwa, I’ll probably read the novel first and then the manhwa afterward especially for heavier stories so I can enjoy a lighter, more visual version later.
I will say, the first chapter or so is a bit slow. It feels like necessary setup more than anything else. But once the transmigration happens, that’s when the story really starts to shine. That’s also when Xiao Yu’an, the Northern Emperor, becomes a much more interesting and engaging main character.
One thing I really appreciated about the novel, especially compared to the manhwa, is how much attention is given to side characters. The manhwa focuses mainly on Xiao Yu’an and Yan Heqing, but the novel expands outward. You get to see other characters’ backstories, their thought processes, and the reasoning behind their actions.
For example, characters like Eunuch Zhao and Nie Er could easily be viewed as cold or unlikable at first glance. But the novel shows that much of what they do comes from dedication to their country, their people, or their duty. Seeing those motivations really changed how I viewed them. Honestly, by the end of this volume, there weren’t many characters I outright disliked. Even when their actions weren’t desirable, they felt understandable.
As someone who’s still fairly new to danmei, I also really appreciated the pacing of the romance. It doesn’t feel rushed or exaggerated. The emotions build naturally over time, which made it feel more realistic and meaningful.
⚠️ Minor spoiler:
There isn’t much in the way of overt romance in this first volume. It’s only toward the end that it’s revealed that Yan Heqing may be in love with Xiao Yu’an, and even then, it’s subtle. Personally, I loved that. I don’t enjoy rushed romance, and this slow buildup made me more invested in what’s to come.
Overall, How to Survive as a Villain Volume 1 was a really strong introduction. The novel adds emotional depth, character complexity, and nuance that I didn’t fully get from the manhwa alone. I’m very much looking forward to Volume 2 and seeing how the story continues and how it compares to the comic moving forward.
Oh minor details, at minimum it brought tears to my eyes at least 3 times. A good beginner read for Danmei.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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