Long Aotian was itching to throw down.
This was his moment to shine, to flex his strength! But that damned Lu Chengwen—he wasn't taking the bait. Why wasn't he playing the arrogant villain, goading Long Aotian into a fight?
Instead, Lu Chengwen was flailing, sweating buckets, single-handedly holding back a dozen bodyguards. Was this guy serious?
Just let them come at me, I'm begging you! Long Aotian thought. I need this XP haul!
If I don't crush this mob, how am I supposed to wrap this up?
Lu Chengwen, meanwhile, was dead-set on one thing:
No way am I letting you farm XP! Not today, not ever!
You're the king, the god, whatever you say goes—I'm not arguing.
Take Leng Qingqiu and go! If you can't, that's your problem, but leave me out of it!
Long Aotian was losing it. "Uh… Young Master Lu, got a problem with me?"
Lu Chengwen, barely keeping the bodyguards at bay, spread his arms wide. "No problem! I'm thrilled! I'm over the moon! You and Qingqiu are perfect together. Send me a wedding invite, I'll chip in for the gift!"
Long Aotian's pent-up energy had nowhere to go, and he was pacing in frustration. "How about you let your guys come at me? They're standing up for you, after all."
"No, no, no! Don't worry, with me here, not one of them gets through!"
He spun around, barking at the bodyguards, "Anyone moves, I'll end you!"
Leng Qingqiu was piecing it together. Lu Chengwen wasn't just guessing—he knew things about the future. And now, the whole scene had flipped. Lu Chengwen was desperately trying to de-escalate, while Long Aotian seemed hell-bent on stirring up chaos.
She'd seen through Long Aotian's façade. "Enough, Long Aotian!" she snapped. "Get out! Now! Or I'm calling the police!"
Long Aotian's face darkened. Me, the mighty War God, feared across the borderlands, humiliated like this?
"Fine, I'll leave," he said, voice low. "But Qingqiu, believe me—anytime, anywhere, if you're in danger, I'll stand up for you, even if it means taking on the world!"
Leng Qingqiu, suppressing a wave of nausea, pointed. "Go."
Long Aotian had no more words. His face was a storm cloud as he shot a venomous glare at Lu Chengwen.
Lu Chengwen, on the verge of tears, stammered, "It's not my fault, I swear! I'm just… confused. You holding up okay?"
Long Aotian snorted and stormed off, face like thunder.
In the bathroom, Lu Chengwen nearly threw up.
After surviving six rounds of this nightmare, he'd distilled three ironclad rules for villain survival:
Never provoke the protagonist. That's the express lane to a gruesome death. The hero doesn't tolerate taunts. Even if you're quiet, they're itching to crush you. Mouth off? You're done.Stay away from the protagonist's women. Far, far away. Those brainless heroines are poison. When the protagonist obliterates you, they'll just clap and swoon, throwing themselves at him.Don't do anything evil. If the protagonist catches you scheming, congratulations—you're his XP pinata, fuel for his glorious rise.
Ding!
System Notification:
"Congrats, dear host! You've passed the initial survival test with a one-star difficulty rating. We've prepared a first-stage reward for you, darling!"
Lu Chengwen perked up. "What's the reward?"
"A sports car, dear!"
He gaped. "Are you kidding? I'm the heir of the Lu family, head of Lufeng Group, swimming in money! I just escaped Long Aotian's wrath, and you're giving me a car?"
"Don't get too excited, dear host. This isn't just any car—it's special!"
"What's so special about it?"
"It has four whole wheels, darling!"
"You son of a—" Lu Chengwen bit back his rage. "What's with Leng Qingqiu? She's supposed to run off with the War God! What's going on?"
"We're not sure about Qingqiu's situation, dear. For more details, please engage her in conversation."
"Talk to her? Are you nuts? Long Aotian's glare was pure murder!"
He was fuming, but his anger fizzled into fear. "Please, figure out a way to get them together. If this keeps up, I'm dead meat!"
"No worries, dear host. Our feedback suggests we're perfectly fine with you getting played to death, darling!"
"You piece of—!"
Lu Guanghong's Study
Lu Guanghong's face was stern. "Sit."
Lu Chengwen sat, stiff as a board.
"Spill it. What's your game? What mischief are you cooking up now?"
"Nothing!" Lu Chengwen was genuinely baffled.
"Hmph! You think you can fool me? I know exactly what kind of man you are," Lu Guanghong said, his voice heavy with authority. "Listen up—you'd better shape up and treat Qingqiu right, or I'll make you regret it."
Lu Chengwen sighed. "She won't marry me. Everyone in Snow Capital knows how much she despises me."
"Then why the sudden one-eighty? Why'd she agree to the engagement?"
"I have no idea! I'm as confused as you are!"
"And why are you suddenly acting high and mighty, refusing the marriage?"
"I… I'm full of love for the world!"
Lu Guanghong's eyes narrowed. "You're getting more shameless by the day."
Lu Chengwen slumped, too drained to argue.
"Take a gift and visit your god-grandfather later," Lu Guanghong added.
Lu Chengwen blinked. "God-grandfather?"
Right. The story's setup: Snow Capital was ruled by four major families—Lu, Chen, Xu, and Leng. The Lu family was the strongest, followed by Chen and Xu. The Leng family, after years of mismanagement, had teetered on the edge of collapse until Leng Qingqiu took over, turning their fortunes around in two years to stabilize the family.
That's why the Lengs were so keen on this marriage. They knew Lu Chengwen's reputation was trash, but the Lu family was their only lifeline. For the sake of their legacy, they'd pushed for the alliance, despite their private disdain for him.
This novel's setup is pure garbage, Lu Chengwen thought. His villain character was practically perfect—tall, handsome, filthy rich, a prodigy who'd led Lufeng Group to dominate the business world. Yet, he was written as Leng Qingqiu's obsessive lapdog, all to make the protagonist's victory sweeter. The more impressive the villain, the more satisfying it is to crush him.
To survive, Lu Chengwen had to avoid any clash with Long Aotian. Top priority? Steer clear of Leng Qingqiu—far clear. If he could make it to the story's end, he'd claim his rewards, return to reality as a rich, handsome hero, marry a beauty, and save his mother.
The Lu family had deep ties with the Chen, Xu, and Leng families, especially with the Chen patriarch, Lu Guanghong's sworn father—Lu Chengwen's god-grandfather. Recently, Chen Qiushou had fallen ill, and while the rest of the Lu family had visited, Lu Chengwen, the reckless playboy, hadn't shown his face.
Drop off the gift, say hi, and get out. Perfect plan.
As he stepped outside, he spotted Zhao Gang, the burly enforcer he'd tackled earlier, rallying his men.
Zhao Gang's face was dark with rage. "Everyone here?"
Thirty-plus bodyguards stood in neat rows, bellowing, "All present!"
"Good!" Zhao Gang roared, still seething. "Young Master Lu's engagement was ruined by that punk Long Aotian! Can we let that slide?"
"No!" the crowd shouted.
"Exactly! Young Master Lu's our boss! In Snow Capital, he's the one who takes what he wants, does what he pleases! No one messes with him!"
The group raised their fists, chanting, "Take what we want! Do as we please! Take what we want! Do as we please!"
Zhao Gang raised a hand, and they fell silent in perfect unison. "So, we're gonna find Long Aotian, beat him to a pulp, and take back Young Master Lu's pride!"
"Find Long Aotian! Beat Long Aotian! Take what we want! Do as we please!"
Lu Chengwen sprinted over, yanking Zhao Gang aside. "What are you doing?!"
"Young Master Lu!" Zhao Gang grinned. "I've got nine ways to crush that Long Aotian—nine! Just watch me!"
Lu Chengwen kicked him in the rear. "Are you out of your mind?"
He turned to the group of strapping bodyguards. "Stop shouting about 'taking what we want' so loudly! You trying to ruin my reputation?"
Zhao Gang scratched his head, confused. "But Young Master, you've always been… pretty shameless."
Lu Chengwen trembled with rage. "I'm trying to be respectable now, got it?"
"Oh!" Zhao Gang bellowed to the group, "Listen up! Young Master Lu wants to have it both ways—play dirty and look noble! Get the vibe!"
The crowd raised their fists again. "Play dirty! Look noble! Play dirty! Look noble!"
Lu Chengwen roared, "Get lost! All of you, scram!"
One guy shuffled off, still muttering, "Play dirty… look noble…"
Lu Chengwen lunged, ready to kick him. "You little punk, don't walk away—I'm not done with you!"
Zhao Gang held him back. "Young Master, easy! They're just following the training you ordered. It's habit."
Lu Chengwen panted. "You trained them?"
"Yup! Don't worry, I get it. That filthy Long Aotian—I'll make him—"
Lu Chengwen grabbed him. "Zhao Gang."
"Young Master."
"We're brothers."
Lu Chengwen spoke with utmost sincerity. He had to—Zhao Gang was a reckless brute, stubborn as a mule, and impossible to reason with. If he kept this up, Long Aotian would pin every grudge on Lu Chengwen and squash him flat.
He had to coax and con his way out of this.
Zhao Gang's eyes watered. "Young Master, I'm not worthy. I'm just—"
"Brothers don't stab each other in the back," Lu Chengwen said firmly. "Listen to me. No one touches Long Aotian. Tell everyone—when you see him, steer clear. Got it?"
"Why?" Zhao Gang blinked. "I don't get it."