【Ding, Female Lead Gu Yurou’s Favorability toward the Host has increased by 5. Current total Favorability: 60 (Budding Affection).】
【Ding, the Host has successfully impersonated the Male Lead in a female-protagonist plotline and advanced the main storyline. Reward: +900 Villain Points. Gu Yurou’s Protagonist Halo -45, Host’s Villain Halo +45.】
Wang Haoran accepted the reward with quiet satisfaction, a subtle smile lingering on his lips as the system notifications faded from his mind. Without lingering, he quickly exited the hotel room and made his way down to the lobby to check out.
Behind him, in the hotel suite, Gu Yurou clutched the edge of the sink, her face flushed and twisted in embarrassment and nausea. She gagged once and immediately rushed into the bathroom, frantically rinsing her mouth out to erase any lingering taste.
By the time evening rolled in and the twilight shadows stretched across the city skyline, Wang Haoran was already seated behind the wheel of his Pagani, pulling smoothly out of the hotel’s underground garage.
A message on his phone caught his eye—sent half an hour ago by Lu Yan.
In her message, she had written that her heart felt heavy, that she was overwhelmed with grief, and needed someone to talk to. She asked if he could come keep her company for a while.
Wang Haoran could already guess what this was about. He didn’t need many details to understand the storm behind those few words.
He drove swiftly toward the Art Academy, and before long, he found her.
“My brother… he’s gone,” she said softly, her voice hoarse and trembling.
“What?” Wang Haoran’s eyes widened in feigned disbelief, his tone soaked in exaggerated shock. “When did this happen?”
“It’s been several days,” Lu Yan whispered, lowering her eyes. “I didn’t tell you right away because I didn’t want to burden you. But the pain hasn’t gone away… and I just needed someone to talk to. I hope I’m not bothering you…”
“You silly girl,” Wang Haoran sighed with a deep breath, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her face. “How could you ever bother me? If you’d told me earlier, I would’ve been there for you from the start.”
He paused for a moment, his voice steady as he asked, “How did your brother die?”
“They said it was a needle to the forehead. Dead on the spot. No suspect, no leads. The case is still hanging. In a few days, I’ll have to go collect his remains and arrange the funeral,” she said, her tone trembling again near the end.
“When that time comes, let me know,” Wang Haoran said gently, placing his hand on her head in a comforting gesture. “I’ll help you. I’ll make sure your brother rests in peace, buried in the best feng shui land possible.”
And he wasn’t just saying that to console her. He genuinely meant to help.
He already picked the location—Qingling Mountain’s summit. Both Lin Chen and Yan Yuntian were buried there. If Lu Chen joined them, at least he wouldn’t be alone.
“Thank goodness you’re here,” Lu Yan murmured. Her strength, worn thin from grief, seemed to steady at his presence. She leaned into him like a fledgling bird seeking warmth, pressing her face gently into his chest.
She stayed there for a while, soaking in the warmth of his embrace like a girl trying to anchor herself from being swept away by sorrow. Only then did her emotions begin to settle.
“I told my brother not to buy that villa,” she said with a bitter smile. “I told him it was unlucky, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“It’s already happened,” Wang Haoran said as he gently held her shoulders. “Don’t dwell on it too much. You’ll only hurt yourself.”
“Mhm.” She nodded obediently, took a deep breath, then looked up and said, “There’s a performance at our university tonight… a kind of arts showcase. Would you like to stay and watch with me?”
She wasn’t really in the mood for performances, but she just wanted a reason to stay by his side a little longer.
“Of course,” Wang Haoran agreed without hesitation.
In truth, Lu Yan was a bit pitiful. Her brother was gone, her grandfather was nearing the end of his life, and soon she would be left with no one. And among all the female leads, Lu Yan was the only one whose Favorability had reached 100—Till Death Do Us Part.
When it came to pure affection, tolerance, and care, she ranked the highest.
Being with Lu Yan never felt burdensome. She always went out of her way to make him happy, never pressuring him or dragging him down. She had no demands, no expectations—just quiet devotion.
If a girl like this made a simple request, how could he possibly say no?
Besides, the Art Academy was full of beauties. The performance might be more interesting than expected.
“Have you eaten anything?” he asked, noticing how pale and thin she looked. Her delicate features had lost their color, her figure even slimmer than before.
“I haven’t had much appetite lately. No mood to eat,” she admitted.
“Silly girl, you can’t skip meals. Look at yourself—you’re wasting away. Even the parts that shouldn’t shrink have shrunk. You haven’t noticed?” He gave her body a subtle once-over, his tone a mix of concern and teasing.
“Really?” Lu Yan looked down in surprise, startled. She hadn’t realized until he pointed it out, but now that he mentioned it, she could feel it.
Her figure was still alluring, no doubt about that—but she still wanted to be even more perfect. Because she wanted to win his heart completely.
“Let’s go eat something first. I haven’t eaten either,” Wang Haoran said.
“Mhm,” she nodded quickly, her eyes brightening just a little.
He drove them to a nearby restaurant. The warm meal brought some color back to her face.
Meanwhile, back at the Art Academy, the performers were scrambling backstage, makeup being touched up, costumes adjusted as the final preparations for the night’s show unfolded.
In one of the campus restrooms, a stunning woman stepped out. Her figure was graceful and balanced in a way that left nothing to be desired, and her face was so flawless it seemed unreal.
A boy who had just been about to enter the restroom froze in shock when he saw her emerge.
She didn’t seem bothered in the slightest, walking out of the men’s room like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her expression remained calm as she made her way down the corridor, completely unconcerned by the stares that followed her every step.
As she passed, students turned their heads, drawn by the sight of her flowing hanfu and serene demeanor. She looked like someone who had walked straight out of a traditional painting—gentle, graceful, and filled with a quiet, classical beauty.
“Who is she? She’s as beautiful as Lu Yan, maybe even more. How come I’ve never seen her before?”
“She probably isn’t from our school.”
“Nonsense. With the performance tonight, she’s clearly one of the performers. She must be a student here.”
The students around her began to whisper and speculate, curiosity igniting as her identity became the subject of excited discussion.
Back at the square, after their meal, Wang Haoran and Lu Yan returned to campus. The night air was cooling, and the plaza was alive with voices and light.
With her stomach full and some of her sadness lifted, Lu Yan’s pale complexion had regained a healthy glow.
She led Wang Haoran through the crowd toward the center of the plaza, where the performance stage had been set up.
As the event drew closer to starting, more people gathered. The plaza was teeming with students, a sea of heads and bustling energy.
Wang Haoran glanced around, noting the abundance of good-looking boys and girls. He filtered out the guys almost instinctively, focusing instead on the women in the crowd.
But after sweeping his gaze around for a moment, he felt a flicker of disappointment.
There were indeed many beautiful girls here, but compared to the top-tier ones from Qingling University, they fell short.
Qingling University had four campus belles just in the freshman year alone.
Aside from Lu Yan, this place didn’t seem to have anyone who could match Qin Yunhan and the others.
He began to look away, disinterested—but then, right as he withdrew his gaze, a girl in a flowing hanfu stepped into his line of sight.
Wang Haoran’s eyes lit up instantly.
She wasn’t quite at the level of the god-tier beauties like Feng Xuansu or Tantai Yaoyue, who defied reality in face, figure, and aura. But this girl… she could definitely rival Yu Shiqing.
That already made her incredibly rare.
Without needing to think about it too much, Wang Haoran was almost certain—this had to be another female lead.
He continued to observe her closely, letting his gaze roam over the elegant lines of her figure, the serene calm in her face, the soft sway of her robe. She was the very image of classical allure.
His curiosity piqued, he activated his X-ray Vision out of habit.
But the moment the ability pierced through her clothing, he saw something that should never have been there.
Wang Haoran’s eyes flew wide open. He shoved both hands into his hair and clutched his head as if trying to crush his own skull.
His scalp tingled.
Goosebumps exploded across his entire body.
He felt like vomiting.
It was like biting into what you thought was the finest dessert, only to discover it was a steaming pile of dung.
His stomach turned, and he nearly lost control right there.
Wang Haoran felt like he was about to go insane.
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