Chapter 529

Wang Haoran racked his brain for the right words, then looked at Lu Xinyi coldly and said, “I hate women. Got a problem with that?”

【Ding! Host has advanced female lead Gu Yurou’s side plot. Gained 200 Villain Points!】

Lu Xinyi froze for a moment, clearly shocked by such blunt hostility. But no matter what, she refused to believe this handsome guy was… uninterested in women.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you,” she murmured, eyes dimming slightly. She returned to her seat next to him, opened her laptop again, and pretended to type away—but her gaze kept drifting toward him again and again.

The more she looked, the more her heart raced. This guy was just… too perfect.

【Ding! Female supporting character Lu Xinyi’s Favorability toward Host increased by 10. Current Favorability: 60 (Budding Affection)】

【Ding! Host has advanced Gu Yurou’s side plot. Gained 200 Villain Points!】

Seeing the notifications pop up, Wang Haoran couldn’t help but marvel.

Just letting a female supporting character sneak a few glances was enough to raise her Favorability? This was almost too easy.

If only the female leads in male-oriented novels were this easy to deal with…

But he knew better. He was a villain, not the protagonist. Without relying on Halos or System items, he’d never get this kind of treatment.

He quickly finished his food and walked out of the breakfast hall.

Seeing this, Lu Xinyi hurriedly shut her laptop, packed up her things, and followed behind with quick, light steps.

It didn’t take long for her to catch up with him near the community parking lot.

Suddenly, a Pagani’s lights flashed nearby, and the gull-wing driver’s door rose automatically. Wang Haoran lowered his head slightly and slipped into the car.

Lu Xinyi was completely stunned.

She recognized the Pagani logo. That was tens of millions worth of supercar.

Not only was this man impossibly handsome, but he was also disgustingly rich?!

【Ding! Lu Xinyi’s Favorability toward the Host increased by 10. Current Favorability: 70 (Unswerving Devotion)】

【Ding! Host has advanced Gu Yurou’s side plot. Gained 400 Villain Points. Gu Yurou’s Protagonist Halo -20. Host’s Villain Halo +20!】

Wang Haoran started the engine and received the updates from the System without much surprise. He was already getting used to it.

He didn’t drive away immediately. Instead, he sat there thinking.

Right now, Lu Xinyi was still just a female supporting character. Her identity hadn’t been swapped to a villainess yet. She was only part of a side plot.

As long as she didn’t witness any close interactions between him and Gu Yurou, she wouldn’t have any reason to feel jealous or act out. No jealousy meant no conflict, and without conflict, she wouldn’t trigger her villainess upgrade or affect the main plot.

In other words, by keeping Lu Xinyi outside the loop, he could delay Gu Yurou’s main storyline.

Having sorted things out in his head, Wang Haoran didn’t even glance at the girl peeking from the corner. He simply stepped on the gas.

The Pagani roared off into the distance, leaving Lu Xinyi standing there with her thoughts in disarray.

…

When Wang Haoran arrived at the classroom, Liu Hua came over right away, grinning mischievously.

“Boss, heard Lin Mo got his thing chopped off last night and had to be sent to the hospital.”

“Oh? Really?” Wang Haoran raised a brow, pretending to be surprised.

“It’s true! Someone saw it—there was blood everywhere. It looked clean-cut, too. He’s definitely done for!” Liu Hua snickered.

“Is the news widespread?” Wang Haoran asked casually.

“Not yet, only a few people know,” Liu Hua said, shaking his head.

“Then what are you waiting for? Go spread it on the forums. Make it viral.” Wang Haoran shot him a meaningful glance.

Liu Hua blinked, then grinned and nodded. “Got it!”

…

At the Normal University.

After staying up late the night before, Gu Yurou had woken up a bit later than usual. Thankfully, she only had two classes today, and they didn’t start until around ten.

She didn’t rush. After getting out of bed, she opened her laptop and checked her email.

Her eyes lit up—there was a new reply.

She clicked it eagerly and found it was from none other than the famous screenwriter Lu Xinyi.

After reading the contents, Gu Yurou nearly jumped with joy and almost hit the ceiling. She quickly added the WeChat contact left in the email.

Lu Xinyi accepted shortly afterward.

They exchanged a few messages. Upon realizing they were in the same city, the two quickly arranged to meet up later that afternoon.

Gu Yurou couldn’t stop smiling after the conversation ended.

The script she sent over… was inspired by her and someone’s story. Of course, she’d done some artistic reworking, but the core remained the same.

The plot centered around a proud, gentle girl slowly taming a cold, aloof man into a soft, obedient lover.

Deep down, Gu Yurou truly hoped the one who always bullied her would treat her tenderly one day… even if she never say it out loud.

She opened her photo album and flipped through it until she found a folder.

Most of the photos were of a certain someone—profile shots, back views… clearly all secretly taken.

The man in the photos was Wang Haoran.

As she stared at them, her gaze softened. She fell into a daze.

If she was being honest, she owed a part of her script’s success to him.

But… would he ever accept her thanks?

And even if he would—could she even bring herself to say it?

…

At the hospital.

Lin Mo lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, looking utterly defeated.

What happened to him… no man could ever accept it.

He zoned out for a long time until the sound of footsteps approached.

He didn’t bother to look. But the footsteps got closer, eventually stopping right beside his bed.

Soon, a strikingly beautiful woman appeared in his upward view.

Normally, a woman’s beauty wouldn’t hold up when seen from below. But this one was an exception.

Even from this angle, she looked like a flawless goddess.

She was clearly one of those 360-degree no-dead-angle beauties.

Lin Mo stirred instinctively, but the feeling died in seconds. In his current state, he didn’t even have the right to look at beautiful women, let alone anything else.

She was wearing a uniform. Clearly from the bureau. Two other officers stood behind her.

“Mr. Lin, we’re here to investigate the case,” the stunning woman said as she took out her badge.

Lin Mo looked at it instinctively. Her name was Ling Duanya.

He wasn’t in the mood to talk, but since it was related to the case, he forced himself to cooperate.

During the questioning, Lin Mo gritted his teeth and insisted that the person who did this to him… was Wang Haoran.

Ling Duanya paused at the name. At first, she thought it was just someone with the same name. But after asking for more details, she realized—it was the same Wang Haoran she knew.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

“I know him,” she said calmly. “He’s a very upright young man. Are you sure there isn’t some kind of misunderstanding?”

Hearing her speak, the two officers behind her nodded in agreement.

They knew about the previous reports and complaints.

A man brave enough to take on evil forces head-on—how could someone like that be a criminal?

There had to be a misunderstanding!