I Became the Rich Second-Generation Villain

“Oh? You have a way?”

Wang Haoran’s eyes lit up slightly at Cheng Rui’s words.

“Ma Hongsheng does respect Qin Fan,” she said, her tone calm, “and he’s even willing to hand over five hundred million to him without a second thought. But respect has its limits. It’s not like he’s willing to give up everything without question.”

Wang Haoran understood instantly. Cheng Rui had already hinted clearly enough. If he couldn’t catch on now, he might as well stop calling himself a villain.

In truth, he considered this method before. But the reason he hadn’t acted on it was that the price seemed too steep for Cheng Rui. While he didn’t have strong feelings for her, the thought of her sacrificing so much for his sake still made him uncomfortable.

There was just something about it that rubbed him the wrong way.

And more than anything, he couldn’t stand seeing the protagonist benefit. Even if it ended with Ma Hongsheng turning on Qin Fan, he wouldn’t feel any satisfaction from it if the method involved Cheng Rui giving herself up.

“I’ve thought of that plan too,” Wang Haoran said in a low voice, “but the cost to you is too much. Let’s not go there.”

Cheng Rui picked up on the concern in his tone and felt a quiet joy blossom in her chest. “It’s only a bit of reputation,” she explained gently. “Besides, I don’t care what Ma Hongsheng thinks of me.”

“What else did you think I meant?” Cheng Rui let out a soft laugh.

In the past, she was ruthless in achieving her goals, willing to discard anything in her way. But ever since her heart was stolen, she had become far more guarded. She wouldn’t let another man so much as touch her, not even with a finger.

Even after Ma Hongsheng regained consciousness, she kept a careful distance, no matter what tricks she had to use.

There was no way she would really offer herself up just to sow discord between Ma Hongsheng and Qin Fan.

“You have a better plan in mind?” Wang Haoran asked, hopeful. He felt like he was finally seeing light at the end of a tunnel, but he still wanted to hear the details.

Cheng Rui mistook his question as a concern for her well-being. Her heart fluttered, unaware that the truth was much simpler. Wang Haoran simply couldn’t stand the thought of a beautiful woman around him getting close to another man—especially not the protagonist.

“I do have an idea,” Cheng Rui said, “but there are two things that need to be handled first.”

“Go on.”

“Ma Hongsheng’s body still hasn’t purged all the poison. He’s been falling into a deep sleep every night. Is there a way to temporarily wake him at a specific time, but make sure he can’t move or even speak?”

“That’s easy,” Wang Haoran replied without hesitation.

He was the one who poisoned Ma Hongsheng in the first place. He knew the toxin’s properties inside and out. What Cheng Rui asked for was child’s play.

“The second thing is…” Cheng Rui’s voice turned hesitant. “I… I’m naturally not very expressive. It’s hard for me to get into the right emotional state. So I might need… your help.”

As she spoke, her voice trembled slightly. It was clear she was nervous just saying it out loud. She quickly added, “I mean, it’s just acting. Nothing real.”

Her words were vague, but Wang Haoran understood what she meant.

“What’s the full plan?” he asked, wanting to be sure he could play his part well.

“Ma Hongsheng’s condition is improving. He’s already been discharged from the hospital and is resting at home. Qin Fan stops by regularly to help him clear out the remaining toxins. If my guess is right, he’ll be visiting this evening. So by then…” Cheng Rui laid out her plan over the phone in a few simple sentences.

Wang Haoran listened carefully. The plan seemed very doable.

After ending the call, he returned to the villa once class was over and headed to the hidden basement to prepare the medicine Cheng Rui would need.

By early evening, he drove out with the mixture in hand, ready to deliver it to her.

But just as he was pulling out of the villa’s driveway, his phone rang again. This time, it was Tantai Yaoyue.

“Be my driver for a bit. Are you free?” she asked bluntly over the phone.

“Where are you headed?” he asked, his guard going up. He was worried that she might be meeting Qin Fan, and even though he had other matters to attend to, he didn’t want to say no right away.

“I just found out one of my senior brothers is sick. I’m going to visit him.”

Wang Haoran had a sudden feeling in his gut. “I’m free. I’ll come pick you up now.”

After hanging up, he drove to another villa nearby and gave a short honk of the horn.

Liu Yue had just returned from school and was about to enter the house when she saw the luxury sports car parked by the gate. She walked over immediately.

“Fifth Sister,” Wang Haoran greeted sweetly as he rolled down the window, keeping his behavior polite now that he was right outside the villa.

【Ding. Host made Female Lead Liu Yue jealous. Gained 500 Villain Points.】

“Taking Seventh Sister out for fun?” she asked, lowering her body and leaning an elbow on the car window, her tone laced with suspicion.

“No. Eldest Sister asked me to drive her. She said she’s going to check on a sick senior brother,” Wang Haoran answered honestly.

“Oh, I see.” Liu Yue nodded, then glanced down.

“Your sock’s torn,” Wang Haoran said as he caught a glimpse and gave her a reminder.

Liu Yue looked down, gave him a side-eye, and said under her breath, “I’ll look later. I’ll just spend a bit more and buy something that doesn’t rip so easily.”

“Where’s the fun if they don’t tear?” Wang Haoran said without thinking, letting out a small snort.

Liu Yue gave him a strange look, and as if something clicked in her mind, she reached out and pinched his arm. It was so soft, even an ant probably wouldn’t feel it.

She straightened up and quickly composed herself as Tantai Yaoyue just stepped out of the villa.

“Big Sister, isn’t it a little much to grab your sister’s boyfriend to be your driver?” Liu Yue muttered, worried that Wang Haoran would be taken advantage of.

“What’s wrong with that?” Tantai Yaoyue snorted. She didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty.

In her mind, he had already taken much more from her. Making him drive her around was hardly unfair.

Seeing that her elder sister wasn’t in the best mood, Liu Yue didn’t dare press the issue. She simply gave Wang Haoran a silent glance, full of unspoken warning: take care of yourself.

Tantai Yaoyue got into the passenger seat.

“Where to, Sister?” Wang Haoran asked once they were on the road.

“Here.” She opened her phone and showed him a note with an address on it.

Wang Haoran glanced at the screen. It was the exact same address Cheng Rui had given him.

So they were headed to the same place after all.

He originally planned to sneak over and deliver the medicine quietly, but now it seemed he could walk right into the Ma family’s estate without being sneaky.

Looking at the timestamp on the note, he saw that it had been added just ten minutes ago.

A thought struck him.

“Sister, have you ever met this senior brother before?” he asked casually.

“No. I only just learned that someone from Qingling fits that description,” Tantai Yaoyue replied, not sounding particularly interested.

Wang Haoran was now almost certain.

She must have just gotten off the phone with Qin Fan. It was likely that Qin Fan had told her about Ma Hongsheng being sick.

The timing wasn’t a coincidence.

Wang Haoran had already been informed by Cheng Rui that Qin Fan was scheduled to visit the Ma estate that evening to continue clearing the poison.

With Tantai Yaoyue heading there now, it was almost guaranteed they would run into each other.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!