I Became the Rich Second-Generation Villain - Chapter 345: The Gap

Chapter 345: The Gap

The sudden system prompt caught Wang Haoran off guard. For a brief moment, he was stunned, but the surprise quickly gave way to delight.

After all, with Feng Anna serving as a prior example, he assumed that this new female lead, Ning Aoxue, would be just as difficult to handle and if not more. Feng Anna, despite his maxed-out Charm Value, remained utterly immune to his good looks, her favorability stubbornly unmoved.

That experience had taught him to expect the worst, especially from women like Ning Aoxue who practiced martial arts. Surely, someone like her would be even more unshakable, right?

Yet to his disbelief, Ning Aoxue turned out to be a full-fledged member of the “looks first” club.

It was only their first encounter, and her Favorability towards him had already jumped to forty.

Of course, part of the reason was because she mistakenly thought he was her so-called “fiancé.” She had imagined this mysterious fiancé of hers to be some ugly, unbearable toad.

But when she laid eyes on him and saw his striking, godlike features, the shock of that visual whiplash sent waves of favorable impression flooding her heart. Coupled with her shallow obsession with appearances, it was no wonder her feelings had taken root so quickly.

For Wang Haoran, this was excellent news.

So when he realized Ning Aoxue had mistaken him for her fiancee, he decided to run with it. There was no need to correct her, not yet.

With a relaxed smile, he said, “So you’re Ning Aoxue. Showing up so late at night just to find me—don’t tell me you’re in a rush to marry me?”

Ning Aoxue’s eyes flickered. Realizing she had been staring too long, she quickly withdrew her gaze and pushed down the strange flutter in her chest. Her expression frosted over as she reined in her mind, reminding herself of the obsession she had cultivated through years of bitter cultivation.

Coldly, she replied, “Who wants to marry you? Ever since I learned of this engagement, it felt like a heavy boulder has been crushing my chest. Not a day has gone by that I didn’t want to get rid of it. My years of training were all for this moment.”

Her tone sharpened, and her gaze grew piercing. “I’m here to defeat you and annul this engagement. A man weaker than me isn’t worthy of being my fiancé!”

Another engagement withdrawal?

Wang Haoran raised an eyebrow.

First Feng Anna, and now Ning Aoxue. Both had shown up to cancel their engagement with Yan Yuntian, marching right up to him with self-righteous resolve. In the original storyline, these scenes always ended the same way—they delivered themselves right into the protagonist’s hands.

But thanks to his interference, the trajectory of the story had already been twisted.

He could sense the density of Ning Aoxue’s internal energy. It was deeper and more forceful than Yan Yuntian’s.

Originally, if Yan Yuntian had followed the proper progression and activated his bulldozer mode, his cultivation would have soared. But because Wang Haoran poisoned him in secret, sabotaging his libido, Yan Yuntian’s momentum came to a screeching halt. His strength remained stagnant. And now, he was no match for Ning Aoxue.

If she did end up finding Yan Yuntian now, things could get ugly for him.

“Actually, I’m not Yan Yuntian,” Wang Haoran said, his tone casual.

He knew her purpose in coming here and figured it was better to redirect her away, let her deal with the real Yan Yuntian instead.

But the moment the words left his mouth, the system chimed repeatedly.

【Ding. Female lead Ning Aoxue’s Favorability toward host decreased by 10. Current Favorability: 30 (Very Friendly).】

【Ding. Favorability decreased by 10. Current: 20 (Friendly).】

【Ding. Favorability decreased by 10. Current: 10 (Acquaintance).】

【Ding. Favorability decreased by 10. Current: 0 (Stranger).】

Wang Haoran stood frozen, momentarily bewildered by the rapid-fire decline.

Across from him, the subtle gleam of admiration in Ning Aoxue’s eyes vanished completely. Her expression chilled into disdain.

“So, Yan Yuntian is just a coward, is that it? Too afraid to even face me?” Her voice was thick with mockery.

“I told you—I’m not Yan Yuntian,” Wang Haoran tried again.

“Your parents gave you that name, and you don’t even have the courage to admit it? What a pathetic excuse for a man,” she sneered, her derision now rising to outright contempt.

“Right, right, Yan Yuntian really is a gutless coward.” Since he wasn’t actually Yan Yuntian, Wang Haoran felt no pressure at all slandering him by name.

“Enough talk. Let’s fight. If you lose, the engagement is null and void!”

Ning Aoxue had always been a battle-hardened cultivator with a naturally combative spirit. With the marriage matter weighing on her heart, there was no way she would back down now. A fight was inevitable.

“Not interested,” Wang Haoran replied lazily. He rolled his eyes, patience wearing thin. Turning around, he made to leave, eager to return to sleep.

“If you won’t make the first move, then don’t blame me,” Ning Aoxue snapped. The moment the words rang out, her figure flickered, vanishing and reappearing behind him like a ghost.

A slender, snow-white hand—surging with pure and violent Internal Energy—struck straight for Wang Haoran’s back.

But his perception was sharp beyond reason. The instant she made her move, he sensed it. Just as her palm neared his spine, he spun around, a gleam of cold light flashing through his eyes as he met her strike head-on.

Their palms collided with a thunderous clap. For a heartbeat, everything held still. Then the air shattered with a deafening roar as waves of invisible force rippled outward from their clash.

Within several meters of their impact, the very air seemed to implode. A brief vacuum formed, and the sudden collapse of pressure sent a violent wind howling through the courtyard, bending trees and rustling petals into a frenzy.

Ning Aoxue let out a soft grunt as her body trembled from the shock. Her delicate feet slid back along the stone tiles.

Before she could recover, a powerful hand clamped her slender neck.

Her eyes widened. In shock, she stared at the handsome face before her, utterly dumbfounded.

She had trained in seclusion for years, all to sever the shackle of this engagement. She had convinced herself that with her current cultivation, she stood unchallenged among the younger generation of the hidden martial world. There was no way her so-called fiancé could rival her.

But she was wrong.

She did not even last two moves under his hand.

In her wildest dreams, she never imagined her “fiancé” would be a Grandmaster.

She herself was only about ten years of cultivation away from that level. Yet the difference in strength was still massive.

After all, once one reached the realm of a Grandmaster, the body itself undergoes a fundamental transformation. Reaction speed, perception, physical power—every attribute surged to an entirely different plane.

That’s what allowed him to utterly dominate her in an instant.

The realm of Grandmaster was something martial artists could only dream of attaining. Yet this man before her—her so-called fiancé—was not even twenty years old.

A Grandmaster under the age of twenty.

Such talent in the martial path hadn’t been seen in the hidden world in hundreds of years. He was a peerless prodigy, unmatched in both looks and ability. Countless noble daughters and heavenly beauties would fall over themselves for the chance to marry him.

And here she was, foolishly trying to annul the engagement.

How ridiculous.

【Ding. Female lead Ning Aoxue’s Favorability restored to 40 (Very Friendly).】

【Ding. Favorability increased by 10. Current total: 50 (Developing Affection).】

【Ding. Host has altered the plot trajectory. Gained 2,000 Villain Points. Yan Yuntian’s Protagonist Halo -100. Host’s Villain Halo +100.】