A heart-rending scream tore through the night, shrill and desperate, yet before even half a second had passed, it abruptly cut off, as if the mouth that released it had been forcefully sealed by something unknown and terrifying.
【Ding. Due to Host’s behind-the-scenes manipulation, Protagonist Ling Nanxu has suffered both physical and mental trauma. Gained 2,400 Villain Points. Ling Nanxu’s Protagonist Halo -120. Host’s Villain Halo +120.】
【Ding. Congratulations, Host. Villain Halo has surpassed the 16,000 threshold. Reward is being calculated. Please wait patiently.】
At that moment, Wang Haoran was strolling through the night market near the Academy of Arts with Lu Yan, when two system notifications silently popped up before his eyes. A subtle, amused smile surfaced on his lips, tinged with a trace of schadenfreude.
The talent show had wrapped up at ten o’clock sharp. Now it was close to half past midnight. That made for at least two and a half hours. Poor guy.
Wang Haoran chuckled inwardly, clearly satisfied, and as that sinister sense of anticipation rose within him, his thoughts turned once more to the new milestone. His Villain Halo had reached 16,000. Another reward was already being processed.
What kind of surprise would he receive this time?
【Ding. Reward calculation complete. Congratulations to Host. You have received: two ‘Protagonist Fortuitous Encounter Experience Cards’.】
Moments later, the notification arrived.
Protagonist Fortuitous Encounter Experience Card: (Single-card value: 70,000 Villain Points). Upon activation, it will trigger a one-time protagonist-level encounter.
Note 1: Each card only triggers one encounter.
Note 2: Trigger time is unknown. Encounter type is unknown.
The explanation was concise but crystal clear. With just one glance, Wang Haoran instantly understood how it worked.
He didn’t hesitate for even a second. He issued the command right away and used one of the Protagonist Fortuitous Encounter Experience Cards.
In every classic power-fantasy NovelPhoenix he’d read, protagonist encounters were always high-reward events. Good luck, heavenly treasures, peerless legacies—never anything that did harm. It was always something that changed the tide. So naturally, even as a villain, he was eager to taste the sweetness of a protagonist’s luck for himself.
Though there was one thing that annoyed him slightly—the trigger timing was completely random. What if it took three or five years to activate? Wouldn’t that be frustrating?
Wang Haoran grumbled to himself for a bit, but he knew worrying about it wouldn’t help. This wasn’t something he could control. The only option was to let nature take its course and wait patiently.
“It’s getting late,” Wang Haoran finally said, slowing his pace slightly and glancing toward Lu Yan, whose hand had remained tightly clasped in his this whole time.
“Looks like it,” Lu Yan replied as she checked her phone. Her eyes widened when she saw the time—half past midnight already. Time had passed so quickly, far faster than she expected. They only wandered around the market a little while, and it was suddenly well into the night.
A flicker of worry rose in her eyes, but alongside it, a subtle joy. Her soft, alluring features took on a hint of charming distress. “Oh no, it’s so late. The dormitory must be locked by now. What should I do?”
Wang Haoran smiled knowingly. How could he not see what she was really thinking?
Lu Yan had been through a lot lately. Ever since Lu Chen’s death, her heart had been shrouded in grief. But tonight, after meeting him, her mood clearly improved.
He wanted to be there for her a little longer. After all, he made a promise to Lu Chen that he would take good care of her. That promise wasn’t just empty words.
Sweeping his gaze across the street, Wang Haoran spotted a convenience store nearby and made his way toward it.
Lu Yan stood at the entrance, not following him inside. Her cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment, as if she already guessed what he was going in to buy.
Wang Haoran returned shortly after, both hands empty.
Lu Yan looked at him questioningly.
“Sold out,” he said with a helpless shrug.
Hotels always provided some, of course, but the quality of those was questionable. He didn’t trust them. If anything went wrong, that would be a mess he wasn’t willing to deal with.
Hearing this, Lu Yan froze for a moment, then suddenly seemed to realize something. Her eyes brightened slightly.
“No need,” she said softly.
Under the shimmering glow of the city’s neon lights, the faint blush on her cheeks deepened. Her already delicate features now carried an irresistible allure.
Wang Haoran was momentarily taken aback. Was Lu Yan really being this bold?
But then it clicked. This wasn’t her being bold. She must have done the math. Something scientific. Timing, perhaps.
Tonight, everything was safe.
—
The next morning.
Wang Haoran contacted Jiang Gaoxuan and ended the guy’s vacation early.
He assigned him a very simple task: make sure Ling Nanxu does not appear in public dressed as a woman. As for how he goes about it, that was up to Jiang Gaoxuan, as long as he does not kill the guy outright.
The nature of this task was eerily similar to what he had done with Xiao Ye and the game livestream situation.
And Jiang Gaoxuan had experience now, so Wang Haoran wasn’t worried.
—
A few days later.
Ling Nanxu lay on a hospital bed, pale and exhausted. The wig and makeup were gone, and the hanfu had been replaced by a patient gown. The flamboyant cross-dressing persona was nowhere to be seen. Now he looked like any ordinary man.
Ever since that night, he hadn’t told a soul what happened.
Because even if the law sided with him, he couldn’t explain it. He was a man. How would people judge a man assaulted in that way?
Sure, maybe those bastards could be punished—but the moment the news spread, it would explode. He’d be on the front page, but not in the way anyone wanted. Social death was a certainty.
So after a few days of mental self-healing, Ling Nanxu decided to bury the memory deep in his heart. Treat it like a nightmare that never happened.
A pretty young nurse walked in to change his bandages.
It was one of the muscle-bound men from that night who brought him to the hospital. He paid for everything. As for how Ling Nanxu explained his injuries, he simply called it an accident.
The nurse’s hands were gentle. She was quite attractive, not stunning, but certainly pleasant to look at. Maybe it was all the movies he’d seen, but Ling Nanxu should have felt something. A flutter, at least.
But strangely, there was nothing. His mind remained eerily calm.
He found it odd but didn’t think much of it. He just assumed his injuries had dulled his spirit.
After the nurse left, less than a minute passed before the tall, bulky man returned with a lunch tray.
He’d been bringing meals every day, always on time. Even paid the bills without asking.
Not that Ling Nanxu was grateful. Quite the opposite. He wanted to kill the guy.
“You feeling better?” the man asked, his voice surprisingly soft for someone so burly. Muscles rippled beneath his tank top, and a thick beard framed his jaw.
Ling Nanxu clenched his jaw and said nothing.
The man didn’t seem offended. Maybe he was used to it. Smiling faintly, he opened the container and passed it over.
Ling Nanxu didn’t want to eat, but his body disagreed. He was starving.
There was no point in punishing himself further. So he accepted the food and began eating silently.
When he finished, the man cleaned up and prepared to leave, but then paused. He noticed the grease at the corner of Ling Nanxu’s lips and gently wiped it away with a napkin, pinching his cheek in the process like a man teasing a lover.
A surge of shame and rage rose in Ling Nanxu’s chest, but it was laced with a strange, unfamiliar heat.
Their faces were close. So close he could feel the man’s warm breath brush across his skin.
His pale cheeks flushed uncontrollably.
【Ding. Host’s manipulation has indirectly caused a subtle shift in Protagonist Ling Nanxu’s orientation. Gained 1,000 Villain Points. Ling Nanxu’s Protagonist Halo -50. Host’s Villain Halo +50.】
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