Chapter 293: “Do I Even Have a Choice?”
When Li Yunxi’s character panel appeared in Wang Haoran’s mind, he finally confirmed it—this bizarre, borderline deranged girl was actually a female lead.
To a reader of male-oriented fiction, her behavior was absolutely outlandish. But in the context of a female lead plotline, it kind of made sense.
Up until now, Wang Haoran had always assumed that the main characters he’d encounter were from male-centric storylines. When he heard that Lu Ming had gotten beaten up, his first assumption was classic: hero saves beauty, so obviously, the heroic male lead had to be Shen Yixing.
That was the trope drilled into his brain. But after witnessing Li Yunxi’s insane behavior and the swarm of handsome men orbiting her… something didn’t add up.
That’s when it clicked.
His eyes drifted toward Li Yunxi, and an urge to rant welled up inside him.
He was a Rich Second Gen, a proper villain from a male-focused narrative—so how the hell did he end up accidentally stepping into a female-led world and becoming the cannon-fodder villain?
Was it because he ordered Lu Ming to get her number? Was that the butterfly effect that pulled him into this?
To be honest, he didn’t want to get involved in some reverse-harem storyline. Female-led plots were filled to the brim with dreamy male characters, while the quality female characters were few and far between.
Male-centric stories were way better—dozens of stunning heroines, each with their own charm, and best of all, they understood the importance of sharing the male lead. None of that possessive “he’s mine and only mine” nonsense. Maybe he should just back out now before it gets worse. Go find Qiu Qianwei or Qin Yunhan, or someone else to enjoy some philosophical talk about life and dreams?
That idea had just formed in his mind when—
【Ding! Host has gazed at the protagonist Li Yunxi for more than three minutes. “Pretty-Boy Magnet Halo” will activate in one minute, transforming host into a simp.】
【Ding! Host’s current Halo Resistance is too low to counteract the “Pretty-Boy Magnet Halo.” Would you like to spend 8000 Villain Points to upgrade Resistance Halo?】
Two cold, robotic alerts echoed in his brain.
Wang Haoran’s expression darkened.
Of course he knew about Li Yunxi’s halo. Earlier, to counter Lin Chen’s “IQ-Lowering Halo,” he had exchanged points to unlock a Halo Resistance.
So he assumed that would be enough to withstand anything, which is why he wasn’t afraid to stare at her. But now…
【Ding! “Pretty-Boy Magnet Halo” activating in 50 seconds. Upgrade Resistance Halo for 8000 Villain Points?】
【Ding! “Pretty-Boy Magnet Halo” activating in 40 seconds. Upgrade Resistance Halo for 8000 Villain Points?】
Two more messages in quick succession.
He gritted his teeth. Damn it. If he didn’t upgrade now, he was going to turn into a lovestruck idiot. Did he even have a choice?!
“Fuck this.”
With that, he burned 8000 Villain Points and upgraded the Resistance Halo.
In his skill panel, the Beginner Resistance Halo transformed into an Intermediate Resistance Halo.
【Ding! Host has successfully upgraded Resistance Halo. Now immune to “Pretty-Boy Magnet Halo.”】
Wang Haoran exhaled in relief. He made a mental note—always keep an emergency stash of Villain Points. If he had been short just now, he really would’ve ended up licking her boots.
And because of this ridiculous expense, he tossed out any idea of backing out of the plot. He was going to get those points back—with interest.
He glanced away from Li Yunxi and turned to Yu Fei beside him.
“That guy in the windbreaker. Who is he?”
Yu Fei leaned in and whispered, “That’s Lu Beige. CEO of Tianyu Entertainment. Built his company from scratch. Market value’s over ten billion. He’s also one of the investors in this drama.”
Wang Haoran narrowed his eyes. So, a classic dominant CEO character—one of the most overused templates in female novels.
As Wang Haoran digested that information, Lu Beige had already spoken to Li Yunxi and gotten a rough understanding of the situation. He now turned his eyes on Wang Haoran and said, “Your Wang Group may have deep pockets, but Wang Films is a newcomer in this industry. It doesn’t have much sway yet. Why don’t you do me a favor and let this go?”
Yu Fei and the assistant director both rolled their eyes.
Let it go? Say that to anyone else—but a top-tier Rich Second Gen like Wang Haoran? Dream on.
Opposite them, Gu Nanfeng and Shen Yixing looked tense. They knew—this wasn’t going to be resolved so easily.
But then Wang Haoran smiled, seemingly friendly.
“Honestly, it’s all just a misunderstanding. Besides, I’m a man—what kind of man holds a grudge against a woman?”
【Ding! Host has deviated from standard villain behavior. Impacting plot direction. Villain Points +800!】
The notification sounded right on cue.
Sure enough, even in a female-centric novel, villain rules still applied. Do the unexpected, and rewards follow.
He just earned back 800 points. Still short 7200.
Across from him, Li Yunxi’s trio—Lu Beige, Shen Yixing, and Gu Nanfeng—all wore expressions of genuine surprise.
Even Yu Fei and the assistant director were stunned into silence.
Apparently, no one expected this turn.
After a few moments, Lu Beige finally recovered and said in a calm, admiring tone, “Wang Xiang has raised quite a good son.”
It had the air of a seasoned elder praising a younger generation. What he really meant was: this Wang Haoran isn’t one of those brainless, spoiled rich kids.
Wang Haoran just smiled quietly.
Got the points I needed. Now it’s time to play the real game.
His eyes flickered as he turned to the assistant director. “Go pour five cups of warm tea.”
The assistant director nodded and returned a minute or two later with a tray.
Wang Haoran took a cup and gestured for the rest to be offered.
“We at Wang Films are investors in this project. You’re the director, you’re the male lead, and you’re another investor. I’d say we all have the same goal—to make this drama a success. Let’s drink to that and move on.”
He downed his tea in one go.
Lu Beige, seeing his calm demeanor, also picked up a cup and drank. Shen Yixing and Gu Nanfeng followed suit.
Wang Haoran smiled again. This time, the smile had depth.
【Ding! Host has caused Lu Beige to lose all masculine ability. Villain Points +1500!】
【Ding! Host has caused Gu Nanfeng to lose all masculine ability. Villain Points +1500!】
【Ding! Host has caused Shen Yixing to lose all masculine ability. Villain Points +1500!
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