Chapter 534

【Ding! The host has deviated from the standard female-protagonist romance route and forcefully claimed the female villain, Lu Xinyi. Villain Points -800!】

【Ding! Female Villain Lu Xinyi’s Favorability toward Host has increased by 20. Current Total Favorability: 100 (Till Death Do Us Part)】

Two system notifications came in rapid succession.

The first one left Wang Haoran blinking blankly.

He lost Villain Points… just because he didn’t follow the expected plot?

This was the first time he encountered something like this.

But at least there was a silver lining—Lu Xinyi’s Favorability skyrocketed to the maximum.

Wait… today was the first time they even met, wasn’t it?

And without using any Charm Halos, he maxed her favorability in one go. That speed was nothing short of legendary.

Still, thinking it through carefully, it made perfect sense.

Lu Xinyi’s character setting had always been meant for the male lead of Gu Yurou’s story arc. Emotionally, she was supposed to be loyal to him from the start.

Trying to reason with that would be pointless.

That said, Lu Xinyi’s conflict with Gu Yurou hadn’t reached its conclusion yet. There was still unfinished business.

After mulling it over, Wang Haoran suddenly turned to Lu Xinyi and said, “Actually, Gu Yurou is my sister. Not my girlfriend.”

“Really?” Lu Xinyi’s face lit up at first, but then she quickly frowned. “You two don’t even share the same surname. How is she your sister?”

“Blended family,” Wang Haoran replied without hesitation.

Lu Xinyi made a small “oh” sound, then nodded in sudden understanding.

“But I think that Gu Yurou of yours might have some weird feelings about her ‘brother’…” Lu Xinyi said meaningfully.

“What makes you say that?” Wang Haoran raised an eyebrow.

“I met Gu Yurou today. I saw her staring at your photo like she was in a trance,” Lu Xinyi said seriously. “The way she looked at it… I can tell. That was not the gaze a sister gives her brother.”

“No matter what she’s thinking, I only see her as a little sister,” Wang Haoran said. “Don’t overthink it. And don’t go messing with her again, either. If she gets bullied and comes crying to me, I’ll have no choice but to step in. Family’s family.”

“Got it. I won’t cause her any more trouble,” Lu Xinyi said sweetly with a nod. “Tomorrow I’ll invite her out and apologize.”

【Ding! Host has successfully dissuaded the female villain Lu Xinyi, ending her antagonistic arc against Gu Yurou. Gained 2,200 Villain Points. Gu Yurou’s Protagonist Halo -110. Host’s Villain Halo +110!】

Wang Haoran accepted the reward with satisfaction.

Not only had he recovered the Villain Points he lost for going off-script, but he earned a surplus.

More importantly, he had neatly wrapped up another of Gu Yurou’s storylines.

So far, he has resolved two female villain arcs and dealt with a male villain trying to use Gu Yurou to climb into protagonist status.

“Let’s go get dinner,” Wang Haoran offered.

“No thanks. You go ahead. I’m too tired to move. Just want to rest for a bit,” Lu Xinyi replied weakly.

Wang Haoran expected that. He only asked for the sake of formality.

“Alright. I’ll go eat first. I’ve got something to handle after, but I’ll stop by another time,” he said seriously.

And he meant it. After all, Yang Jingwan lived here too. Visiting Lu Xinyi while checking in on Yang Jingwan wouldn’t cost him much.

Besides, Lu Xinyi had been honest with him. She really was a blank slate before all this.

“Okay,” Lu Xinyi smiled lazily.

After leaving her suite, Wang Haoran walked down the same floor to another apartment and rang the bell.

He barely rang twice before Yang Jingwan rushed over to open the door.

“You—why are you here!?” Her eyes widened in a mix of surprise and delight.

They had just seen each other yesterday. Based on his usual behavior, she thought it’d be at least a week before he visits again.

She hadn’t expected him to show up today of all days.

“Obviously I came just to see you. What else would I be doing here?” Wang Haoran chuckled and gently pinched her delicate nose.

Lu Xinyi was resting and wouldn’t come out to expose anything.

He told the lie boldly, without a flicker of guilt.

Yang Jingwan was overjoyed, excitement bubbling over.

After a few more casual exchanges, the two of them went downstairs to have dinner together.

The next morning—

Wang Haoran left the community early. Instead of heading to the residential dining area, he drove straight toward the teachers’ college campus.

He parked by the side of the road and dialed Gu Yurou’s number.

“I’m waiting outside your school gate. You’ve got five minutes to show up,” he said flatly the moment the call connected—and hung up before she could even reply.

Yes, it was rude.

But this kind of cold, domineering behavior was exactly what a female-protagonist male lead was supposed to do.

After ending the call, Wang Haoran opened his phone’s timer app and started counting down.

At four minutes and fifty-something seconds, Gu Yurou came running into view, panting and flushed.

Her hair was still messy from sleep. She hadn’t even had time to fix herself up before rushing over.

Wang Haoran wasn’t the least bit surprised.

This was exactly the kind of setup Gu Yurou’s character was designed to fall for—the aloof, overbearing type.

She might act tough, but when it came down to it, she was obedient enough.

“I already took care of Lu Xinyi for you,” Wang Haoran said, wearing the signature cold-as-ice expression of a female-protagonist love interest.

Gu Yurou stared blankly for a second before the meaning sank in. Her first thought was confusion—how did he even know Lu Xinyi had been bothering her?

But she didn’t have time to dwell on it. An overwhelming wave of joy swept away everything else.

So this cold-faced guy… actually cared about her that much? He’d gone and confronted Lu Xinyi for her?

【Ding! Female Lead Gu Yurou’s Favorability toward Host has increased by 5. Current Total Favorability: 65 (Budding Affection)】

【Ding! Host has impersonated a female-protagonist male lead and progressed Gu Yurou’s storyline. Gained 900 Villain Points. Gu Yurou’s Protagonist Halo -45. Host’s Villain Halo +45!】

“Don’t get any ideas. I only helped you because I pitied you,” Wang Haoran said coolly, noticing the happiness flickering across Gu Yurou’s face. “It doesn’t mean I have feelings for you.”

He had no choice. If he broke character now, the system might dock his Villain Points again. He had to stick to the act.

“Who wants your help anyway?” Gu Yurou huffed and turned her face away proudly.

Wang Haoran ground his teeth silently. If not for that damned halo of hers making him act like a simp the moment he got too close, he’d have put her in her place long ago.

She needed to learn exactly how terrifying a male-fantasy villain could be.

“By the way, remember, I’m your older brother. We’re from a blended family. Don’t mess that up,” he reminded her coldly.

Lu Xinyi was already under control, but it never hurt to cover all angles.

“Brother? You sure you’re older than me?” Gu Yurou asked curiously.

Wang Haoran, of course, knew the truth.

Gu Yurou was a sophomore in college. He was a freshman. She was probably a year older.

But that wasn’t important.

“Cut the crap. I said I’m your brother, so I’m your brother.”

With that, he stopped wasting words and got into the nearby Pagani.

The engine roared, and the sleek supercar sped off into the distance, vanishing from Gu Yurou’s sight.

“Brother, huh? Fine. But did you have to be so fierce about it…?” Gu Yurou muttered softly, standing there with a faint blush, her heart unexpectedly sweet and fluttering.