Every Day the Villain Continues to Fail
[Quick Transmigration]
o0o
Ruan Yao widened his eyes in fear.
His pupils were so light they shimmered with an innocent, watery glow, making him appear pitiful and hard to blame.
"Impossible" Ruan Yao defended Gu Jin, his voice tinged with urgency and panic. "The murderer isn't him; it's another person who looks exactly like him"
How could Gu Jin be mistaken for a murderer?
Ruan Yao felt like he was falling apart. Although he sometimes cursed Gu Jin to have bad luck when bullied by him, he never wanted something like this to happen.
Gu Jin was innocent. The real murderer was clearly that deranged man who had the same face as Gu Jin.
Ruan Yao's face turned pale, his brows furrowing involuntarily, exuding a soft and helpless aura. "Without evidence, how can you arrest him?"
It was a reasonable question, but in Gu Rongming's eyes, it came across as something more complex.
He wasn’t pleased.
Gu Rongming didn’t let Ruan Yao witness Gu Jin being taken away.
Gu Rongming's study faced the large garden outside the villa, where he could see the entire scene at the main gate through the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Come closer, Yao"
The sunlight outside was just right, the sky clear and fresh after the storm. Gu Rongming held Ruan Yao’s hand, his brows and lashes outlined in soft golden light, his lips curved in a compassionate smile, like a benevolent deity.
Ruan Yao was thinking about how to clear Gu Jin's name, so his movements were a little hesitant.
Gu Rongming noticed his distraction, lowering his lashes to conceal the subtle displeasure in his eyes.
The man applied a bit of force with his hand.
Ruan Yao cried out in surprise, falling directly onto Gu Rongming's lap. His lower legs nearly hit the wheelchair's armrest, but the man blocked them just in time.
The faint fragrance of Ruan Yao's black hair spilled over the tip of the man's nose, the cool strands brushing across his cheek.
"I'm sorry!" Ruan Yao panicked, unsure why he had suddenly fallen. He was worried that his sudden weight might worsen Gu Rongming’s fragile legs, which were already weak.
The man covered his mouth with a light cough and laughed. His refined and delicate features softened with a smile, like a gentle melody from Jiangnan.
"It’s okay. I can’t feel anything anyway"
Sliding an arm around Ruan Yao's waist, Gu Rongming fully embraced his frail little 'sister-in-law' who seemed even more delicate than his long-sickly self.
A treasure that needed to be carefully protected in the palm of his hand.
"Don’t move, Yao Yao"
Gu Rongming half-closed his eyes, resting his chin on Ruan Yao's shoulder as if seeking comfort.
Ruan Yao smelled fragrant—not the nauseating scent of artificial perfume but a subtle, addictive aroma that calmed Gu Rongming’s restless emotions like a tranquilizer.
"I’m too tired. Let me hold you for a while" the sickly man, always on the verge of coughing up blood, murmured while holding the delicate beauty.
Ruan Yao was cradled in his arms, his mind unable to process the situation or see the man’s face.
This display of vulnerability worked wonders on Ruan Yao, who responded better to softness than harshness. Despite his earlier anxiety for Gu Jin, he hesitated briefly before obediently hugging the man back.
It seemed that as an uncle, Gu Rongming did care about his nephew. Humans truly had strong familial bonds, didn’t they?
Ruan Yao squinted, nestling his head on the man’s shoulder like a kitten. His soft hands patted Gu Rongming’s back as if comforting a child.
"Don’t be afraid. Everything will be okay."
The healing little kitten affectionately nuzzled the human’s neck, unaware of how it stirred the man’s emotions.
Gu Rongming’s breath hitched, his gaze growing increasingly dangerous.
He responded with a low, amused “Hmm” his mood improving as he watched the row of police cars parked outside the garden gate.
With patricide as a scandal, Gu Jin could forget about rising again.
Once Gu Jin was locked behind bars, the rightful heir of the Gu family would be Gu Rongming alone.
The Gu family would be his.
And so would Ruan Yao.
As he was escorted into the police car, Gu Jin’s dark gaze seemed as though it could swallow his uncle whole. Yet, despite years of ruling the underworld in Yun City, Gu Jin didn’t leave in disgrace. His departing figure even carried a hint of a fallen hero's aura.
In high spirits, Gu Rongming returned a look of mock pity, secretly wishing his ambitious nephew a swift death in prison.
Gu Rongming had always known he was a despicable person.
From a young age, he had understood that what he desired had to be seized, no matter how dirty or ruthless the methods.
He knew that before marrying Gu Rongzhang, Ruan Yao had an unclear relationship with Gu Jin.
At his level, uncovering such things was far too easy.
At this moment, it seemed Gu Jin still had unresolved feelings for his stepmother.
Gu Rongming's gentle demeanor was nothing more than a mask. He alone knew that beneath it lay a face twisted with extreme possessiveness.
Whether in the past or now, Gu Jin's defilement of Ruan Yao would mean his death.
"Ding-ding, Gu Rongming's affection level has risen and is now at 99" the system's notification suddenly echoed in Ruan Yao's mind. "Side quest two activated. Dear Host, please seduce Gu Rongming to gain the opportunity to visit the prison."
Ruan Yao froze momentarily before it dawned on him.
He recalled that Gu Rongming seemed to have a good relationship with Officer Yu Chuan. If he could get Gu Rongming to relent, he might be able to use Yu Chuan to clear Gu Jin's name.
Ruan Yao hesitated as he clung to Gu Rongming's hand, his slender fingers slightly tightening. He wanted to ask Gu Rongming what evidence the police had used to convict Gu Jin, but when he opened his mouth, the words inexplicably changed:"Where was Gu Jin found?"
It was as if he had naively believed Gu Rongming’s story, his innocent, empty-headed demeanor making him seem like a clueless little fool who simply followed along.
Gu Rongming, unaware of Ruan Yao's probing, lovingly brushed Ruan Yao's long hair. "The police found his blood at the scene. After conducting DNA testing, it showed a 99% match with Gu Jin's."
Gu Rongming sighed, looking sorrowful. "I thought Gu Jin was just throwing a tantrum. I never expected him to do something like this."
"So, Yao Yao, you're all I have left now." He no longer even called him "sister-in-law."
Being held by Gu Rongming gave Ruan Yao an inexplicable sense of pressure.
He uncomfortably tried to push the man away and stand up, only to find that Gu Rongming was firmly holding him in place, as if truly seeing him as his lifeline.
Ruan Yao silently mocked him. Among all the collateral relatives in the Gu family, surely any one of them would be more trustworthy than a fraudster like him who had wormed his way in to swindle money.
"I..." Ruan Yao, whenever conflicted, would bite his lip. The soft, rosy flesh would sink slightly, revealing a hint of his pearl-white teeth beneath.
It was incredibly striking.
"I want to meet Yu Chuan" Ruan Yao said, unusually clever for once, avoiding the direct demand to see Gu Jin.
Gu Rongming, however, still seemed a little displeased. To him, Yu Chuan, once out of his police uniform, was just a flirtatious scoundrel. What was so good about meeting him?
Facing Gu Rongming, Ruan Yao was always unbearably obedient. He instinctively felt that Gu Rongming liked him that way. Lowering his head slightly, his eyes shimmered with a misty light as he looked up pitifully "I'm just curious, that's all. I want to hear the details"
Gu Rongming's expression remained faint, his face cold and inorganic under the sunlight.
He closed his eyes as if resigning himself to something and said with a grim resolve, "Gu Jin killed my husband. I have to know why!"
Ruan Yao nearly bit his tongue in half saying that sentence.
Thankfully, Gu Rongzhang was already dead. Otherwise, he would never have dared to utter such an embarrassing title.
Ruan Yao's cheeks flushed, and at that moment, he wanted to dig a hole and bury his head like an ostrich.
Gu Rongming's eyelashes trembled slightly, his voice still cultured but so cold it made one shudder.
"Yao Yao" he said with a smile still lingering on his lips. "Gu Rongzhang will no longer be your husband."
Ruan Yao stared at him blankly, his amber eyes betraying a hint of confusion. His young age made him appear naive and inexperienced among the cunning people around him.
Gu Rongming showed remarkable patience with his slowness. After all, it was Ruan Yao who had approached and seduced him first, which must mean Ruan Yao had at least some feelings for him, right?
"Yao Yao, I've told you before: asking for someone's help comes with a price. Officer Yu Chuan is very busy; he's not so easily accessible." The insinuation in Gu Rongming's words was hidden behind the subtle smile on his lips.
Ruan Yao understood immediately.
He thought to himself, Well, this opportunity practically delivered itself to me.
The "woman's" cheeks naturally carried a faint blush, the soft, snowy flesh of his cheeks puffing slightly from pursed lips, forming a delicate curve that resembled a sticky, sweet rice cake.
Ruan Yao was still inexperienced in the art of seduction. Belatedly, he lodged a complaint with the system "System, why are all my tasks in this world so improper?"
Properly upright Ruan Yao felt like he was always either seducing someone or on his way to seducing someone.
Shouldn't the main role of an evil cannon fodder character be sabotaging the protagonist, getting brutally face-slapped, and then meeting a miserable demise?
The system's display screen showed a shy emoji: "It's because during the replay broadcast, the audience voted to increase your screen time. Although necessary blurring and edits were made, the audience's enthusiasm seems to have only grown."
Ruan Yao never watched replay broadcasts. These broadcasts were typically created after a mission by technical staff who compiled footage into a replay video and streamed it in live rooms for the public to review the performance of the transmigrators.
Viewers could also tip during these broadcasts, and after deducting income tax and platform fees, the remaining amount would be transferred directly to the employee's account. For many Time Management Bureau staff, it was a pretty decent side income.
However, the most popular live rooms were always those of the elite main character team. A small supporting character like Ruan Yao usually had a barren, desolate stream, with no one watching most of the time.
Perhaps that so-called audience vote was just the whim of some random passerby with a quirky sense of humor.
The pitiful wage-earner, duped by this "quirky passerby" pouted his soft, rosy lips in grievance and lightly planted a kiss on the corner of the man’s smiling lips.
He was too nervous, so he didn’t even get the position right he almost kissed the man on the cheek.
Gu Rongming lifted Ruan Yao’s pointed chin with one finger and casually remarked, “Too clumsy. You can’t even kiss properly.”
Yet the fact that Ruan Yao had no kissing experience clearly pleased him.
"Let me teach you, Yao Yao" he said.
o0o
Author’s Note:
Oh no, the lips are all swollen now! (This is honestly the most PG-rated chapter in this world, help!)
For the next world, I’m thinking of writing about a beautiful vase in the entertainment industry. The world after that might feature a pitiful character from the slums (still deciding on the details).