The Female Supporting Role Shows Out - Reviews

Subjective review:

I enjoyed the story, but it feels like each arc leaves things open-ended. I’m accustomed to other QT novels that provide closure by mentioning what happens to most of the characters, giving a bit of information about the protagonist’s descendants, or showing the impact the protagonist had on the future of the world. When this novel didn’t do that, I felt a bit frustrated. I want to know more! Tell me more!

A unique aspect of this novel is that the main character (MC) always forgets her previous life whenever she reincarnates, which means there’s no lingering entanglement with her past relationships in her new life. She starts anew, being cold to everyone, yet she remains deeply responsible for the identity she assumes.

However, she never forgets her previous skills. If you don’t like overpowered (OP) characters, you won’t enjoy this one—she is so powerful that it defies logic. In each new world, she acquires new skills and becomes increasingly formidable. While I don’t mind OP characters, the author lacks a strong sense of ‘time’ and ‘logic,’ making it hard for some readers to accept a 15-year-old being the best in the world.

I’ve persisted through the novel despite the bland characters (OP characters are often bland) and the predictable plot (OP characters tend to bulldoze through challenges, leaving little room for tension). What keeps me going is the variety in the professions she takes on in each reincarnation, which makes each journey somewhat unique.

These issues aren’t deal-breakers for me because I read webnovels for the clichés. The real problem is the author’s tendency to include excessive filler content. They spend time detailing things that most readers don’t care about just to meet word counts. For example, when she’s a cook, three-quarters of the pages are devoted to the minutiae of cooking. When she’s a doctor, half the page is a list of medical ingredients. I managed to read 290+ pages, but I couldn’t continue because, in this entertainment world, half the story is about cooking ingredients, half is medical jargon, and the other half is filled with Weibo comments. It’s too exhausting to skip through so much irrelevant text to find small bits of actual plot, so I gave up.

Still, the first two worlds are quite good, so you might want to give it a try and see how far you can get before you get bored.

It was a very satisfying read. The main character, the short story arcs, the story development, and the character growth—all of it, I loved. I've read and reread my favorite arcs multiple times. Even though the story has 475 chapters, I still feel it was too short. I wanted to keep reading, but it ended too quickly for me.

Sure, here’s the rewritten content:

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"Wow, this is actually really good??? I don’t know, I’m just so relieved to find such a great QT after going through so many mediocre to terrible ones.

This is the story of a retired and experienced QTer. Or, well, she was supposed to retire. But an incident just before she was set to return to her original world gave her amnesia.

Now she’s QTing again, but living her best life.

The romance is so good so far. She’s always independent and strong and a total heartbreaker. She doesn’t lead anyone on or anything, but such a brilliant woman... obviously she’d gather admirers, y’know? So yes. No romantic feelings on her end, just a number of satisfying pining and admiration from the male leads. I approve. Lol."

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This novel is truly remarkable. My rating is based solely on the first arc, which is strong enough to stand alone as a complete novel. I can’t comment much on future arcs since the second arc shifts to a different setting, but I’m eager to continue reading as more translations become available.

The official summary is largely unhelpful, so I’ll provide a brief overview of the first arc instead. Set in ancient China, the main character (MC) is transported into the body of a chef’s daughter. Her family has been unjustly dishonored for allegedly stealing another family’s recipes. Determined to restore her family’s name, the MC embarks on a journey to learn cooking from various sources and eventually returns to the capital to clear their name.

While my summary might sound mundane, the novel is actually incredibly engaging, especially in its vivid descriptions of cooking. It feels like a heartwarming, slice-of-life gourmet novel with a solid plot.

It's fantastic. The main character is incredibly powerful in every aspect. One of my top webnovels.

Good story. Enjoyable read. The element of the protagonist's memories being wiped for each new world is an interesting premise, too. However, there are a couple of things to consider:

1. **Are Emotions Cringe?**

Our protagonist, Lin Dan, is a sociopath. She has a very low regard for others, a low regard for human life, and difficulty empathizing, and she rarely forms external attachments that she isn’t comfortable cutting off at a moment’s notice without hesitation. She also has a very analytical mind, can learn very quickly, and—most importantly—can act very well. While her mind is being wiped every world, it's important to remember she has thousands of years of subconscious experience.

Though she herself doesn’t seem to realize it, her motivations always align exactly with whatever the last wishes of the previous host were—but she has very little reason to care about any of these people (which we see in how she acts) and in all other aspects is a generally uncaring person. Suspicious.... I hope the overarching plot addresses this.

2. **Requiem for an OGFL**

The "OGFL" character for each arc is less and less antagonistic or deserving of the punishments they receive. If you put yourself in her shoes, knowing what she knows and the previous actions of that arc’s pre-transmigration Lin Dan, there isn’t very much that a normal or even moral person would do differently. She generally acts with genuine honor and doesn’t cheat even when she has the opportunity to. She also seems to have some sort of "mental compulsion" to act in opposition to Lin Dan—it’s described as a sudden inner force so strong it almost forces her to move. All the most antagonistic moves made against Lin Dan are made by people around her orbit, generally acting without her knowledge. From the bits we get from her perspective, it seems like her moral compass fluctuates between "benign self-interest" (wants to better her lot in life as long as it doesn’t hurt others—also known as a normal person) at the lowest and "genuine desire to work towards the greater good."

The only outlier is the military arc, where she schemes a little bit. What she does is by no means altruistic, but if you step back, the goals of her plot are: don’t marry the man she doesn’t like, give that man to her sister who (as far as she knows) has a massive crush on him, and marry upwards. The one time she draws someone else into the scheme other than Lin Dan, it’s an accident she couldn’t have predicted. I don’t know about you, but I wish I had an enemy like that! In the dropped timeline of that arc, the man treats her sister awfully and doesn’t give them a chance—but that’s not the OGFL’s fault. As far as she knows, he’s a sweet guy. Later in that timeline, she reports on his secret plans to her husband. I don’t know if I’d blame her for that. If your husband’s enemy keeps coming around to tell you all his deepest secrets and battle plans, I think it’s pretty obvious you’d share that info with the husband. She wasn’t sleeping with him or anything. This later causes disaster to the nation, but again, how could she know? In the end, she falls short and ruins herself because she just isn’t as good as Lin Dan. She tries her best, but she can’t quite measure up to the millennia-old genius sociopath that follows her from life to life—someone who surpasses her in whatever she thinks she’s best at in that life when she’s at her peak, before crushing her. Her memory is wiped so she never learns, and she’s compelled to set herself against this demon whenever they meet. Like, this is the villain? This sounds like an ironic torment you’d get from an evil genie or something.

In the end, we root for Lin Dan because she’s fun, and she’s the protagonist of the story. That’s fine if that’s what you want to write, but it’s kind of ironic that a story (and genre) built around subverting the roles of hero and villain being assigned by fate would literally be doing the exact same thing.

Also, the Chinese Medicine stuff in the doctor arc was kind of weird. All those author’s notes complaining about Western medicine existing were kind of funny. Like, I don’t think that the author is complimenting traditional medicine like they think they are when the first step of the treatment is to "circulate your qi." Last I checked, most doctors can’t do that... I’ll stick with Western medicine till then.

Some of the arcs were very engaging and refreshing. Lin Dan's personality is uniquely hardworking. Additionally, I appreciated that she doesn’t conform to typical stereotypes and does things her own way.

A few arcs were a bit boring and felt stretched out, but overall, it was a good read.

Easily one of the best quick transmigration novels I have ever read. I love the message behind this story, and her progress through her lives was truly touching. While some might criticize her methods and label her as a pushover, I believe her attitude is entirely valid. After all, what else could you expect from someone who is explicitly described as indifferent? Why would she concern herself with mistreatment and slander if she feels nothing? I really appreciate her approach; she retaliates using her own strengths, and it’s incredibly satisfying to see others realize they can’t keep up with her. Even better, most of the time, she has forgotten about their existence.

Though I mentioned that she seems emotionless, I think Lin Dan avoids getting involved with others simply because it’s too much trouble. She’s the kind of person who repays debts and then disappears without a trace. I absolutely love watching her gradually take control of her life and become powerful in her own right. This is especially refreshing compared to other quick transmigration or world-hopping novels where the romantic partner is often the most powerful, leaving the main character relatively weak. Here, whether she finds a partner or not, she remains either equal or superior, and if she stays single, it doesn’t matter because she’s a woman capable of achieving greatness on her own. I admire how she knows her worth and isn’t defined by past relationships.

**Spoiler**
The ending can be interpreted in various ways, but I found it deeply satisfying! I’m thrilled that Lin Dan is finally free from that despicable guy’s control and can live her life as she chooses. I despise him so much and hope he suffers miserably for the rest of his life. xoxo.

It became so boring after the second arc. Although each arc has a different theme, the excessive amount of details makes me skip paragraphs after paragraphs. The main character (MC) is a Mary Sue who always wins.

In the fourth arc, she became an embroidery master in less than a year. At the same time, she did some pretty heavy labor, like chopping wood planks and making leather armor, which could ruin her hands and make them too rough for the fine embroidery and delicate fabrics. But who cares, she's the MC!

And of course, the antagonist female character always loses. This is ridiculous, especially in the empress dress chapter when she made a short dress for the coronation. I can't believe it actually.

It's so frustrating how every arc has such an abrupt end. But still, I love her. She doesn’t give up when she fails; she tries even harder until she succeeds.

There’s no real magic in the story, but every male character in each arc makes you fall in love.

I really enjoyed it! Lin Dan’s journey of self-discovery was both intriguing and emotionally moving. I didn’t expect to cry a few times while reading, but it truly touched me.

However, the author seems to struggle with endings. Each conclusion felt somewhat unsatisfying, but the final ending left me in tears! What exactly happened at the end? Where is the male lead? Who is the male lead? Was there even a consistent male lead, or did Lin Dan fall in love with different people throughout her journey? I need answers, and the book doesn’t provide them.

Even with these issues, I still really liked it! Every arc brought something new and unique. There was an arc where Lin Dan was a gu master, another where she was an embroiderer, a mother, a war goddess, and even a model empress. I loved reading about all these different aspects of her life. The main character was overpowered, but it was refreshing to see how she learned to transcend her own limitations. She grew and finally reached the end she most desired.

I’m giving it full marks because it genuinely moved me. I laughed and cried while reading this novel. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a book this much. It was really good!

Thank you to the translators!