Every Day the Villain Continues to Fail
[Quick Transmigration]
o0o
Ruan Yao felt that Pei Xinan was acting strange, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint what was wrong.
The favorability rating from the main character shou was rising in a really odd way.
The pair of brilliant star-like eyes that fans often praised now held an eerie intensity as they fixated on Ruan Yao’s chest, dampened by water.
The thin fabric clung to his skin, outlining the soft, pale expanse of his chest. Two faint, tempting hints of red peeked through, made even more alluring by the warmth of the steam.
The sight tugged at the already taut string in Pei Xinan’s mind.
With his wet blue hair sticking to his neck and cheeks, Ruan Yao climbed out of the bathtub in a sorry state, convinced now that Pei Xinan really had a few screws loose.
Pei Xinan quickly realized he had spoken nonsense.
A strange frustration rose within him, mixed with an unexplainable sense of regret. He wasn’t sure what exactly he regretted, maybe the fact that he had squandered a golden opportunity.
When night fell and it was time to sleep, the matter still weighed on his mind, his brows deeply furrowed.
Ruan Yao had no idea what Pei Xinan was so fixated on. Based on his experience, cold and aloof male leads always looked constipated.
Even if a billion yuan dropped from the sky, they wouldn’t so much as crack a smile.
Being a little monster who lived by going with the flow, Ruan Yao didn’t bother overthinking.
He curled up on the couch under a fluffy blanket, chatting idly with the system.
The room was pitch dark, save for a single dim light casting a glow on the pale gray walls.
An eerie atmosphere settled in.
Ruan Yao suddenly remembered a certain terrifying man, someone akin to a demon king.
“System, do you think Sheng Yirong will be mad that I ran away like this?”
The system answered honestly “That’s obvious”
Ruan Yao recalled the suffocating terror of the man’s icy fingers gripping him, and a tingling numbness spread through his fingertips.
Trembling slightly, he pulled the blanket tighter around himself, hesitating. “But if I don’t do this, how else am I supposed to raise the favorability score?”
After all, the main character shou seemed to really dislike him.
If it meant completing the main storyline, then getting beaten up by a sugar daddy wasn’t the worst thing in the world.
The system cut straight to the point. “And what makes you so sure Sheng Yirong won’t do something worse?”
Was there anything worse than getting spit on the moment they met?
Ruan Yao shivered. “That’s terrifying”
“What is?” A cool, youthful voice suddenly sounded near his ear.
Ruan Yao froze, eyes widening. Pei Xinan was standing right next to him instead of being asleep.
With one hand, Pei Xinan easily lifted both the blanket and Ruan Yao himself, like picking up a kitten.
The abrupt movement made him realize just how light Ruan Yao was.
It was normal for celebrities to maintain their figures with constant dieting, but Ruan Yao seemed even thinner than usual. Holding him in one hand felt effortless.
Was it just his natural physique?
The sudden loss of support sent Ruan Yao’s upper body tilting backward. He flailed in panic, struggling, but ended up tumbling straight into Pei Xinan’s arms.
The boy’s voice remained indifferent “What were you afraid of just now?”
Ruan Yao scrambled to put some distance between them, pressing all four limbs against Pei Xinan’s chest.
The little blanket draped over his head cast a small shadow across his face.
“I wasn’t scared of anything” he blurted instinctively. Given Pei Xinan’s personality, if he knew Ruan Yao was still thinking about his sugar daddy, he might just throw him out the door.
“You were” Pei Xinan leaned in, close enough to catch the faint, alluring scent on Ruan Yao’s skin.
The oversized sleepwear he had given him was loose enough to fit two of him, leaving a wide expanse of pale, delicate collarbone exposed.
An odd impulse struck him. He wanted to bite down on that fragile curve.
For the first time, he felt an unreasonable surge of jealousy toward Ruan Yao’s mysterious patron.
“You’re in my house. You’re not allowed to think about anyone else” Pei Xinan’s voice was low under the dim light. He no longer bothered to suppress the strange possessiveness welling up inside him.
There was no denying it anymore. Ruan Yao had an undeniable pull, a magic capable of leading people to ruin. And Pei Xinan was willing to surrender to that temptation. “Besides…”
He frowned, struggling for a proper excuse. After a long moment, he finally forced out a clumsy reason. Fortunately, the darkness hid the faint flush on his face.
“I’m afraid of the dark. You have to sleep with me.”
Ruan Yao had been planning to sneak off and watch movies with the system later.
Alarm bells rang in his head as his face scrunched up like a steamed bun “That doesn’t make sense. You used to sleep alone just fine...”
Pei Xinan was both strong and unreasonable. With his injured hand, he pinched Ruan Yao’s soft cheek and gave a warning tug “You promised to listen to me”
“And since you’re a guest, how could I let you sleep on the couch?” Pei Xinan’s argument was both logical and self-righteous, his expression perfectly composed.
When it came to deceiving Ruan Yao, he really was a natural-born genius.
Ruan Yao had shallow tear ducts, and being pinched on the cheek so fiercely made his eyes well up with tiny shimmering tears.
Clutching his blanket, he was pulled entirely into Pei Xinan’s embrace.
He felt like an oversized teddy bear.
Was this what happened when the protagonist shou’s affection level increased?
The system’s red light blinked urgently. “Host, this is a prime opportunity to max out the protagonist shou’s favorability! Seduce him!”
“Aren’t we supposed to be friends?” Ruan Yao was baffled. He was a cannon-fodder shou, and the protagonist was also a shou. Was this really okay?
The system was full of enthusiasm “Who cares? From what I can see, seducing him will get our mission done”
Lure him in, then abandon him. There was nothing more ruthless than that.
If he got found out, Pei Xinan would definitely despise him and retaliate.
Ruan Yao cracked his knuckles.
Alright then.
Pei Xinan hadn’t fallen asleep yet. His gaze lingered on the back of Ruan Yao’s head, round and soft like a little chestnut.
Silky dark-blue strands spilled over the sheets, catching the moonlight filtering through the window.
The glow danced over his hair, tracing it with a faint, shimmering sheen.
Ruan Yao’s skin was so pale that in the dim night, it looked as if it was glazed with a delicate, translucent luster. It made Pei Xinan instinctively want to reach out and touch it.
His throat felt inexplicably dry.
Ruan Yao shifted, rolling onto his side. His bright eyes met Pei Xinan’s in the dark.
For a moment, Pei Xinan’s heartbeat stalled. His breath stretched into something slow and endless.
Ruan Yao’s irises were pale, as if holding a pool of liquid amber that rippled under the soft moonlight.
The faint gold of his pupils took on a subtle ocean-blue tint.
Pei Xinan felt as though his soul was being carried away by the tide, rising and falling with the distant echo of waves.
Ruan Yao had been awake all along.
“You like me, don’t you?” The space between them was so close that their breaths tangled together, warm and featherlight. Ruan Yao’s impossibly beautiful eyes curved into a smile.
In that instant, he seized control.
Pei Xinan realized Ruan Yao was actually quite clever. Once he confirmed he was favored, he had no hesitation in using that indulgence to his advantage.
“Beep… protagonist shou’s favorability increased by 5%. Displeasure level increased by 10%.”
Ruan Yao: “...I don’t think I’m very good at this seduction thing.”
But since he had already started, he had no choice but to keep going.
Pei Xinan remained motionless. The soft moonlight smoothed over his delicate, striking features, making him look unusually gentle.
His dark eyes were deep and unreadable, like whirlpools.
Ruan Yao’s confidence grew. He flipped over, pinning Pei Xinan beneath him.
He looked incredibly cool.
This moment should absolutely be nominated for this year’s Top Ten Most Dramatic Performances.
Pei Xinan, for once, looked genuinely stunned. His dazed eyes locked onto Ruan Yao’s face, now so dangerously close.
Bracing an arm by Pei Xinan’s face, Ruan Yao leaned down. Cool strands of hair brushed against the bare skin of Pei Xinan’s neck.
Beneath him, Pei Xinan’s body trembled, as if struggling to suppress something.
Softly, Ruan Yao murmured, his scent wrapping around Pei Xinan like a net “You might not believe it, but the moment I first saw you, I liked you”
A deep flush bloomed across Pei Xinan’s face beneath the moonlight.
“Beep… protagonist shou’s favorability increased by 10%.”
Ruan Yao felt a little nervous, his teeth unconsciously sinking into his lower lip.
From Pei Xinan’s perspective, it was an entirely different sight, a set of delicate white teeth lightly biting down on flushed lips, the soft pink skin shimmering with moisture.
It looked like a trembling flower bud caught between his teeth, fragile and decadent all at once.
Ruan Yao’s knees sank deeper into the plush mattress. The hem of his sleepwear rode up slightly, revealing two perfectly sculpted dimples at the base of his spine.
A light, sweet touch landed on Pei Xinan’s lips.
A soft, fleeting “chu.”
“Protagonist shou’s favorability has reached 90%. Current rating: Bewitching Devotion. Host, keep up the good work!”
o0o
Pei Xinan hid inside the recording booth, texting Qiao Xinyan.
Back at that lavish, intoxicating banquet, it was the woman in the red dress who had warned him. That boy, Ruan Yao, was not someone to approach carelessly.
He was honey-coated poison. Get too close, and you'd lose your mind.
Her reply came swiftly: "How rare for Young Master Pei to message me."
Pei Xinan's expression remained cold. He got straight to the point: "Who’s backing Ruan Yao?"
Silence stretched on. The seconds ticked away, and just as Pei Xinan's patience wore thin, his phone screen lit up with an incoming call.
The woman on the other end held a cigarette between her fingers, her lips painted a striking shade of red. A swirl of smoke curled through the air, ghostly and slow.
"You’ve fallen for him, haven’t you?" Qiao Xinyan’s tone was laced with certainty, her voice carrying a hint of mockery. "And here I thought you were different"
Pei Xinan didn't even blink. His gaze remained fixed on his own hand, propped against the table.
His fingers were long and pale, but a single detail stood out, the elegant script inked onto his left ring finger: Leviathan.
"Cut the nonsense. Who’s behind him?"
Qiao Xinyan chuckled, a low, amused sound. "And what will you do once you know? Ruan Yao is a liar. He only loves power and money.
You ran away from home, didn’t you? Tell me, little star, what can you possibly offer to fight against that man?"
Her voice was honeyed, but there was venom beneath the sweetness. "What makes you think Ruan Yao would ever choose you?"
Pei Xinan's voice was steady. "Tell me, and I’ll grant you one favor."
Qiao Xinyan twirled a lock of her curled brown hair between her fingers. A memory surfaced, a boy with a devil’s charm flashing her an intoxicating smile from across the room.
Her red lips curled deeper "Alright. The man behind him is... Sheng Yirong."
A name that needed no explanation.
The man who, despite his youth, controlled nearly half the entertainment empire.
Even someone as detached as Pei Xinan had heard of him. He had also heard the grim fates of those who dared to cross Sheng Yirong.
Qiao Xinyan crushed out her cigarette, her breath warm as she exhaled. Her amber eyes shimmered with something unreadable.
"As for my request, it's simple. I just opened a new bar. Bring YaoYao with you."
o0o
At that very moment, Ruan Yao’s phone started vibrating on the table.
The sudden buzz startled him. He reached for the device, but the screen only displayed an unrecognized number.
Just a string of digits, no name. Yet, in an instant, an invisible thread tightened around his throat.
All color drained from his face. His hands trembled as he struggled to pick up the phone, failing more than once.
The original owner of this body was just a fragment of his consciousness, yet the fear carved into that very soul made Ruan Yao’s limbs go cold.
He finally answered, his voice unconsciously softened, hesitant. "Hello... hello..."
A low chuckle drifted through the receiver, smooth yet chilling. "YaoYao, where are you?"
Even under the sweltering thirty-degree heat, Ruan Yao shivered.
In an office blanketed in cold air, Yang Fei stood silently, head bowed. Behind the mahogany desk, a man sat, smiling.
His expression, however, was anything but kind.
o0o