Every Day the Villain Continues to Fail
[Quick Transmigration]
o0o
By the time Ruan Yao finished singing, most of his strength had already drained away. With a faint smile, he gripped the microphone say 'Thank you' to the audience.
Then, his body, overwhelmed by the sudden rush of alcohol, collapsed.
The expected pain of hitting the floor never came.
Pei Xinan had arrived at some point, catching Ruan Yao in his arms with an unpracticed yet careful gentleness.
"Pei Xinan!" Someone in the crowd gasped.
The overhead spotlight vanished at just the right moment, and under the cover of darkness, Pei Xinan guided Ruan Yao to a safer place.
Ruan Yao's vision was hazy, as if shrouded in a delicate mist. The only thing he could clearly see was the sharp glint of the eyebrow piercing on the boy's brow bone.
He was incredibly slender, yet his snow-pale skin was soft to the touch. Holding him instinctively made one tighten their grip around his barely-there waist.
The sensation was unexpectedly pleasant.
"Did you like it?" Ruan Yao murmured, his eyes half-lidded. His long, dark lashes cast faint shadows, and his breath was soft and sweet as he leaned closer to Pei Xinan's ear.
Pei Xinan wasn't good at comforting people. His ears flushed red as he stammered, "It was... nice. You're drunk. I'll take you somewhere to rest."
Frowning slightly, he wasn't sure why his gaze lingered on Ruan Yao's flushed, peach-tinted face.
Even though his movements were gentle, careful not to hurt him, his words remained sharp. "With how bad you are at holding your liquor, why did you even drink? Such a hassle."
Ruan Yao, cheeks burning with a rosy hue, obediently nestled into Pei Xinan's arms, allowing him to move as he pleased.
Like a kitten completely trusting its owner.
Pei Xinan, caught off guard, found himself holding a fragrant, soft Ruan Yao. The half-grown boy was so flustered that he even forgot which leg to move first.
That was when Sheng Yirong's car arrived.
Sheng Yirong was a legend in S City. Despite being under thirty, he had single-handedly built his own business empire, making him one of the most influential figures in the city.
Rumors from years past suggested he had ties to the underworld.
No one could fail to recognize Sheng Yirong's face.
Dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit, the pale man stepped into the bar, his refined gold-rimmed glasses catching the light with a chilling glint.
The moment he appeared, the entire bar seemed to fall under an invisible pressure, making it hard for anyone to even breathe.
Especially since several towering bodyguards followed closely behind him.
Qiao Xinyan felt a cold sweat bead on her forehead. She downed the last sip of vodka in her glass, her red lips curving into a sultry yet playful smile. "What brings you here, Mr. Sheng? I didn't think you'd have the time to visit my little bar for a drink."
Sheng Yirong lowered his gaze slightly, his glasses flashing dangerously. His thin lips curled up faintly. "A little cat of mine wandered in here. I've come to take him home."
Qiao Xinyan's palms felt icy. Her carefully painted brows arched into a crescent shape as she smiled. "We don't have stray cats or dogs here, Mr. Sheng. You must be mistaken"
"Then it shouldn't be too hard to check, should it?"
Qiao Xinyan's smile faltered. "This is my opening night. Coming here just to cause trouble seems a bit inappropriate, don’t you think?"
Sheng Yirong placed two cool, slender fingers under Qiao Xinyan’s sharp chin. Their voices weren’t loud, especially in the lively bar, but with the way they were positioned, they could have easily been mistaken for lovers whispering intimately.
"Miss Qiao, I’ll be sure to support your bar properly" he said softly.
His gaze, however, remained cold as he stared at her. "To be frank, this little cat has been with me for many years. If I can’t find him, I’ll be quite upset."
"If I remember correctly, the Qiao family has an important project coming up, doesn’t it?"
Qiao Xinyan’s face turned pale.
Sheng Yirong casually settled onto a barstool, snapping his fingers. The bartender hesitated, stealing a glance at his boss before quickly preparing a fresh cocktail and placing it before him with trembling hands.
"I trust Miss Qiao is a smart woman and knows what to do."
Qiao Xinyan remained silent for a long moment before letting out a soft laugh. She pulled a slim cigarette from a nearby pack, lighting it with practiced ease.
Her red lips clamped around the cigarette as she exhaled a wisp of smoke, the haze partially obscuring the mischievous glint in her eyes. "Then feel free to look around, Mr. Sheng."
From a second-floor booth, a handsome man with a high ponytail leaned forward slightly. The interplay of light and shadow cast his sharp features in the likeness of a finely crafted sculpture.
He smirked as he gazed at the two figures locked in confrontation at the bar below.
"Allison, that little guy seems to be quite the big shot."
A blond, blue-eyed foreigner swirled the drink in his glass, replying in flawless Chinese, "That just makes it all the more interesting, doesn’t it?"
The moment Sheng Yirong stepped inside, Pei Xinan sensed that something was off.
Fortunately, before coming here, Qiao Xinyan had specifically pointed out the location of the kitchen, where a back door led straight to the winding alleys behind the bar.
As long as they slipped out and took a few random turns, they could shake off Sheng Yirong.
"Ruan Yao, are you okay?" Pei Xinan took advantage of the darkness while Qiao Xinyan and Sheng Yirong faced off, steadying Ruan Yao and guiding him into the corridor.
A single, trembling tear clung to Ruan Yao's eyelashes. When Pei Xinan moved, the tear slipped down his cheek, making it look as though he had been crying.
"I'm fine" Ruan Yao murmured, leaning against Pei Xinan's shoulder as if his strength had left him.
"Listen, Sheng Yirong is coming"
The words hit Ruan Yao like a bomb, jolting him wide awake.
The flush of alcohol drained instantly from his cheeks, leaving him pale. His pupils dilated for a brief moment.
His fingers trembled, yet he forced his voice to remain steady. "You should go first. I'll face him."
"So he can take you back and torment you?" Pei Xinan pinched Ruan Yao's cheek, his gaze sharp and fierce. "Listen to me. You’ve already escaped. There’s no reason to go back and let him humiliate you again."
He pressed Ruan Yao firmly against the wall, emphasizing each word. "You were born to stand on a stage. You can't let Sheng Yirong waste your life."
A shudder ran through Ruan Yao’s entire body. That single, cold tear finally slipped onto Pei Xinan’s hand.
"I'm just afraid I'll drag you down with me. Sheng Yirong, he..."
Pei Xinan locked eyes with him, unwavering and fearless. "To hell with him. Just answer me this, Ruan Yao—do you want to run away with me?"
There was no denying the protagonist’s allure, something almost unreachable.
Ruan Yao was like a peach blossom tree, born with a heart of stone. Never before had anyone made his pulse falter, even in a moment of crisis like this.
As if guided by some unseen force, he gave a slight nod. "Alright."
Sheng Yirong would undoubtedly assume that Qiao Xinyan had hidden Ruan Yao in one of the private rooms upstairs. Taking advantage of the distraction, Pei Xinan quietly led Ruan Yao toward the kitchen.
The kitchen was empty, and miraculously, the door leading to the alley was already open.
A rush of adrenaline surged through Pei Xinan. At that moment, he felt like a hero, a warrior slaying dragons and stealing away the captive princess from beneath the beast’s claws.
And one day, he would bring that dragon down for good.
Ruan Yao knew Pei Xinan was helping him. He followed along obediently, doing whatever was asked of him without resistance.
But they had underestimated Sheng Yirong’s reach.
Escaping into the alley didn’t mean they were safe. In fact, Sheng Yirong’s bodyguards had already sealed off every major exit.
There was no way out of the alley.
That was why Sheng Yirong had been so composed, wasting time arguing with Qiao Xinyan.
Ruan Yao had sharper senses in the dark than any human. He instinctively grabbed Pei Xinan before he could charge forward, his voice still tinged with hesitation. "There are people at every exit. Don’t let them notice us."
Pei Xinan looked at him in surprise. "How do you know that?"
Ruan Yao quickly pinned the blame on Sheng Yirong. "I’ve run away so many times. I know how he works."
The words were like a needle piercing Pei Xinan’s heart, not deep enough to wound, just an insidious itch that refused to fade, more unbearable than sharp pain.
Ruan Yao, of course, had no idea how much turmoil his casual remark had stirred.
He studied the layout of the alley and spotted a small, overlooked corner a short distance away. If they could hide there until dawn, once the guards left, they could escape.
It was a dumping ground for discarded items, filled with stacks of old cardboard boxes. It looked like the backyard of a family home.
A few large, abandoned pieces of cardboard created a space wide enough to crawl into.
The two of them, both barely twenty, huddled beneath the worn-out cardboard like stray cats clinging to each other in the night.
Ruan Yao hugged his knees and tilted his head, looking at Pei Xinan, whose face was still filled with vigilance. "Sorry for dragging you into this. A big star like you shouldn’t have ended up here."
Pei Xinan grumbled awkwardly, "What’s the big deal? I used to run away from home... Ahem, I even slept in a park when I was younger."
Then, his tone shifted. He viciously pinched Ruan Yao’s cheek, squeezing hard enough to bring tears to his eyes. "You owe me one now. If you ever run off again without telling me, I swear I won’t let you off."
Ruan Yao whimpered, clutching his poor, mistreated cheek with teary eyes. How did things escalate to this so quickly?
Unbelievable.
Pei Xinan froze for a second when he saw Ruan Yao crying. He dug around in his pocket for a while. "You’re like Lin Daiyu, one little touch, and you’re in tears."
Ruan Yao stubbornly blinked back his tears. His large eyes shimmered like twin pools of amber, clear and glistening as if bathed in a mountain spring.
Guilt settled in his chest. This really wasn’t very manly of him. The protagonist shou must find him insufferable.
Pei Xinan finally fished something out from the depths of his pocket, a thin stick about the length of a palm and a lighter.
"They’re setting off fireworks tonight, but we won’t get to see them."
Pei Xinan smiled, a rare trace of warmth hidden in his usually sharp features. "So let’s make do."
He lit the sparkler, something he must have swiped from the bar earlier. The slender stick suddenly burst into a dazzling display of light, bright as a shooting star, illuminating Ruan Yao’s eyes.
Ruan Yao gasped. "Wow." Even his pupils reflected the tiny firework, as if capturing its fleeting brilliance.
Pei Xinan handed the sparkler to him. Ruan Yao hesitated, his movements cautious.
At first, he was afraid of the sparks, but once he realized they didn’t burn, he cradled the tiny firework with one hand while the other carefully shielded it from the wind, watching it flicker and glow with bated breath.
His expression softened, eyes crinkling with quiet delight, filled with starlit wonder.
Pei Xinan, however, noticed something else. When Ruan Yao reached out, his wide sleeves slipped down, revealing a small bruise, faded into shades of blue and purple.
It looked like a bite mark.
There were probably more.
A wave of irritation surged through Pei Xinan. He wanted nothing more than to put Sheng Yirong in the ground.
His gaze lingered on Ruan Yao’s delicate, peaceful profile before he finally spoke. "Sheng Yirong... has he been bullying you?"
The smile on Ruan Yao’s lips faltered for a fraction of a second.
He stared at the sparkler, his voice barely a whisper, as if afraid speaking too loudly might snuff it out. "I don’t know."
Pei Xinan’s irritation only grew. He had always been blunt, someone who expressed his emotions freely.
But now, he found himself hesitating, carefully choosing his words just so he wouldn’t upset Ruan Yao.
It was frustrating. "You don’t even know if you’re being bullied? Then do you at least know why he insists on keeping you by his side?"
Ruan Yao hesitated. Finally, his bright eyes drifted away from the sparkler. "He says he likes me."
Pei Xinan nearly laughed in disbelief. He wasn’t even sure why he felt jealous. "And do you like him?"
Ruan Yao shook his head honestly. "He always hurts me. I hate him."
Pei Xinan felt an instant sense of satisfaction.
The sparkler burned quickly, its glow lasting barely over a minute before slowly dying out under Ruan Yao’s regretful gaze.
That was when Pei Xinan cupped Ruan Yao’s face in his hands and spoke with firm conviction. "Listen to me. Real love isn’t what that dumbass Sheng does. When someone truly likes you, they wouldn’t want to hurt you. They’d want to protect you, take care of you. Even if they find you annoying sometimes."
"For example..." Pei Xinan tried to think of a comparison but suddenly came up blank. His mind was a complete void.
Ruan Yao repeated after him, "For example..."
Screw it. No turning back now.
"For example, I like you" The genius rock singer confessed in a way only he could, grabbing Ruan Yao’s face with a fierce scowl, looking more like he was demanding protection money than making a confession.
Ruan Yao’s lips parted slightly in shock.
"What?! Is it that weird?!" Pei Xinan looked ready to explode from embarrassment.
Ruan Yao quickly shook his head.
"Not at all" Two faint dimples surfaced on his cheeks. "I like you too"
Even though Ruan Yao had already said it, hearing those words on such a cold and lonely night felt entirely different.
Pei Xinan’s heart bloomed with joy.
"Ahem. My charm is obviously irresistible, so of course you like me." Pei Xinan cleared his throat, feigning nonchalance.
But his gaze lingered on Ruan Yao’s lips—soft, slightly parted from the chill.
Now that they had confessed, they were officially a couple, right? And kissing between lovers was perfectly normal.
Pei Xinan swallowed hard. He stared at Ruan Yao’s face, glowing like spring flowers in the night, and before he could stop himself, he leaned in and pressed a kiss against the lips he had long coveted.
Last time, Ruan Yao had only given him a fleeting peck. This time, Pei Xinan finally got to taste that sweet, intoxicating softness for real.
The night breeze lifted strands of Ruan Yao’s hair.
Under the midnight sky, two stray kittens clung to each other, lost in their kiss.
[Beep... Protagonist Shou's favorability has reached 100%.]
[Next step: Betray him.]
o0o
Author’s Note:
Let’s just say Sheng Yirong isn’t cutting it. I don’t think he’s quite qualified to go all the way with Yao Yao yet. sobs