Bright lights stabbed through his closed eyelids, a faint sting accompanying the intrusion. His already foggy mind thickened. Ruan Zhao drew a slow breath and opened his eyes.
A line of sinks stretched before him. The white ceramic walls reflected a dim, sterile light, and the central mirror held a cluster of indistinct figures.
…Was he in a restroom?
“Ruan Zhao.”
Someone snapped their fingers in front of his face. “You spaced out pretty hard there. Everything alright?”
The voice belonged to a boy, maybe seventeen or eighteen. He wore a blue and white school uniform, his hair a shock of yellow, a bone-shaped metal necklace dangling at his throat. A troublemaker, through and through.
Receiving no answer, the boy frowned in concern. “You’ve been standing there zoning out for a while. You sure you’re okay?”
Unsure of the situation, Ruan Zhao decided silence was his best bet. He shook his head, a small, noncommittal gesture.
He glanced around, trying to piece together where he was.
Then, something shifted beneath his foot.
He looked down.
And realized—he had been standing on someone’s hand.
Pale, lifeless, utterly bloodless. The kind of hand that belonged to a corpse in a morgue.
Ruan Zhao froze, instinctively recoiling.
But before he could fully retreat, the fingers twitched, then clamped around his ankle.
The touch was glacial, seeping into his skin. Stiff, chilling, like a venomous serpent slithering through a damp, shadowed crevice.
Every nerve in Ruan Zhao’s body screamed. For a fleeting moment, he was certain he’d stumbled into a horror film, and a scream clawed at his throat.
Then, a voice echoed in his mind—the system that had accompanied him to this world.
System: [Don’t panic, don’t panic! Take a deep breath, host, take a deep breath…]
His breathing gradually slowed, and his emotions steadied.
Mustering his courage, he forced himself to look down.
And found himself staring straight into a pair of deep, pitch-black eyes.
System: [See? Not a ghost, not a corpse—just a living, breathing person.]
Ruan Zhao had never seen eyes that dark before. Clouded, heavy, utterly devoid of light.
His breath hitched. He stumbled back two steps, breaking free of the grip.
System: [The one on the ground is this world’s male lead, Gu Xingyan. We, on the other hand, are the designated villainous side characters, the stepping stones of the story.]
[Our primary mission? Bully him. Suppress him. Make his life a living hell. We exist solely to torment him until he’s battered and broken—so that, in contrast, he shines even brighter as the tragic, yet ultimately triumphant protagonist…]
According to the system’s guidance, the boy sprawled on the grimy floor was Ruan Zhao’s designated target—the one he was meant to torment.
His clothes were saturated with dirty water, a dark stain blossoming across his chest. His sleeves were pushed up haphazardly, revealing pale, almost skeletal wrists.
He pushed himself up on his elbows, a clear attempt to rise… but his trembling arms buckled, and he collapsed back with a heavy thud.
Ruan Zhao’s brows furrowed.
This? This is the protagonist?
Where’s the brilliance? The strength?
The system continued its relentless narration.
System: [This is a crucial plot point—your first direct confrontation with him.]
[The two beside you are your ‘friends.’ They bought your lie—that Gu Xingyan bullied you—and decided to ‘defend’ you.]
[Gu Xingyan skipped breakfast, and his low blood sugar made him easy prey. They dragged him here, shoved him onto the floor, and left him like this.]
[You’re supposed to pretend you didn’t see anything… and then step on his hand. Hard.]
Ruan Zhao, having mistaken the boy for some kind of frozen cadaver, had barely grazed his hand before hastily stepping away.
Now, enlightened, he asked with genuine curiosity: [So… should I go back and stomp on him now?]
System: [Your character is a gentle, kind-hearted ‘white lotus’ in front of your friends. Stomping on him now would be inconsistent.]
[Oh. Right.]
Ruan Zhao watched as the boy struggled to rise.
Gu Xingyan tried again and again. Just as he seemed about to succeed, a brutal kick landed on his shoulder, sending him crashing back down.
This time, the impact was brutal.
A sharp, bone-deep crack resonated as flesh met unforgiving tile.
The blond-haired guy beside Ruan Zhao was the one who kicked him.
He sneered, lips curling upward, but his eyes were devoid of warmth. “Stay down. Keep crawling.”
Ruan Zhao’s eyes widened in disbelief. …!
Wasn’t he supposed to be the villain?! Why was this guy stealing his role?!
Gu Xingyan remained still, sprawled on the floor, his breathing shallow and ragged.
The blond boy scoffed. “Tch. What, you think playing dead will get you out of this?”
He rolled his shoulders, unimpressed. No single kick could knock someone unconscious. Especially not one that hadn’t even connected with his head.
He clicked his tongue and sneered. “After everything you’ve done, you deserve a hundred times worse.”
Gu Xingyan’s fingers twitched, curling slightly.
His body shifted forward, bit by bit, until he managed to prop himself against the wall.
His breath came in slow, uneven gasps. His messy black hair veiled his face, making his expression unreadable.
The blond-haired guy’s patience snapped. Cursing, he clenched his fist, preparing to deliver a solid blow—or two—anything to wipe that irritatingly calm indifference from Gu Xingyan’s face.
Ruan Zhao reacted swiftly, seizing Chen Feng’s arm before the blow could land. “That’s enough. Stop.”
He could tell Gu Xingyan wasn’t pretending. The boy was genuinely dazed, barely conscious. If they continued this assault, things could escalate quickly—and dangerously.
Chen Feng frowned, clearly disgruntled. “But after what he did to you, how can you just let it go?”
Ruan Zhao had no idea what Gu Xingyan had supposedly done, but that was irrelevant—he had his own agenda.
“He probably understands he messed up,” he said, his voice carefully modulated. “Shouldn’t we give him a chance to make amends?”
Chen Feng was what the original owner of this body considered a useful acquaintance.
Not a real friend.
Just someone to be exploited when necessary—like now, to handle the unpleasant task of bullying and humiliating the protagonist. If there were repercussions, Chen Feng would bear the brunt.
Ruan Zhao, meanwhile, could remain in the background, playing the innocent, virtuous bystander.
Now that he had a firm understanding of his role, he slipped effortlessly into character, lowering his voice and earnestly pleading on Gu Xingyan’s behalf.
“Maybe he just had a lapse in judgment. We should give him a chance to redeem himself…”
But instead of pacifying them, his words only fueled their rage.
Both boys became even more incensed, rolling up their sleeves, determined to give Gu Xingyan a proper beating.
Ruan Zhao’s brow twitched as he eyed Chen Feng’s fist—a veritable sandbag. He seriously doubted the protagonist’s fragile frame could withstand such a blow without collapsing entirely.
He seized Chen Feng’s arm again, this time with considerably more force.
“Stop. If the teachers find out, this will become a serious issue.”
Even the mention of authority failed to deter them. Chen Feng even scoffed, his expression full of indignation. “So what if they find out? After what he did, he deserves far worse.”
Ruan Zhao hesitated.
He quickly consulted the system for clarification. Just what transgression had the original host attributed to the protagonist to incite such fury?
The system responded instantly.
[You claimed the protagonist had a crush on you, that he bombarded you with inappropriate messages and harassed you relentlessly. You also alleged he dragged you into the woods and attempted something unspeakable.]
Ruan Zhao: […??]
[You even fabricated some rather explicit screenshots, attributing them to him. Every message was so lewd it required heavy censoring.]
Ruan Zhao: […]
[Then you informed them that after you rejected him, he became obsessive. That one day after school, he ambushed you, dragged you into the woods behind campus, and tried to assault you.]
[Fortunately, you managed to escape unscathed.]
Ruan Zhao: [………]
He was speechless. Utterly dumbfounded.
[The original host made baseless accusations, and they simply believed him?]
[The original host was too good at pretending. Everyone perceived him as gentle and kind, someone incapable of lying.]
[So, be cautious. Until your true nature is revealed, avoid displaying any hint of cruelty in front of anyone except the protagonist.]
Ruan Zhao: [Understood.]
The thin, seemingly frail boy kept his head bowed. His pallor was almost sickly, and the sharp angle of his jaw made him appear even more delicate.
His breathing was so shallow his chest barely rose and fell. Another blow from these two well-built boys, and he might actually lose consciousness.
Ruan Zhao made his decision.
“There might have been a misunderstanding between Gu Xingyan and me.” He turned to his two ‘friends,’ his voice gentle and measured. “Could I have a moment alone with him, please?”
Chen Feng frowned. “What if he takes advantage and tries something again?”
“He won’t.”
Both boys looked at him with undisguised skepticism.
Ruan Zhao rubbed his nose self-consciously and took a step back. “If you’re concerned, you can wait outside. Besides, violence is never the answer. It only exacerbates the situation.”
Chen Feng scoffed. “What do you mean, ‘never the answer’? If we beat him until he’s too scared to even think about trying anything again, then it’s solved, isn’t it?”
Ruan Zhao glanced at him, his tone calm and even. “Regardless of the situation, violence is wrong. If the teachers find out, you’ll be punished as well. I don’t want you two getting into trouble because of me.”
With a combination of patience, logic, and a touch of emotional manipulation, he finally managed to dismiss them.
Now, the restroom was empty, leaving only Ruan Zhao and Gu Xingyan.
The system offered a quiet reminder: [Host, remember your character.]
[When you’re alone with the protagonist, you must be utterly ruthless.]
…Ruthless?
What constituted ruthless behavior, exactly?
Ruan Zhao considered the villains he’d encountered in novels and anime.
He took two steps forward, reaching out to seize Gu Xingyan’s collar.
But then, he noticed the grime staining the boy’s uniform—likely from his earlier fall onto the restroom floor.
So filthy. Repulsive.
He didn’t want to touch it.
His slender fingers hesitated for a moment before changing course, instead grasping a handful of Gu Xingyan’s slightly overgrown hair.
He tugged—just enough to force the boy’s head upward.
A strikingly handsome face was revealed.
Sharp brows, clear eyes, a straight, well-defined nose.
His eyelids were thin, adding a sharp, distant quality to his already cold demeanor.
“…Gu Xingyan?”
The boy raised his gaze.
His deep black eyes were unsettlingly intense, like those of a predator assessing its prey—utterly devoid of human warmth.
Ruan Zhao flinched.
Startled, his grip instinctively tightened, yanking several strands of Gu Xingyan’s hair free.
The system clapped its virtual hands gleefully: [Yes! That’s it! The crueler you are to the protagonist, the faster we achieve our mission!]
[Host, you’re incredible! You’re adapting to the role so quickly—I knew I chose the right person!]
Hearing the system’s effusive praise, Ruan Zhao swallowed the apology that had nearly escaped his lips.
He relaxed his grip slightly but contorted his expression into something sharp and haughty. His voice turned icy and cutting.
“Someone like you, a piece of trash beneath contempt, isn’t even worthy of licking my boots. And yet, you dare look at me that way?”
If Gu Xingyan was considered “trash,” then the rest of them might as well crawl into the sewers.
Ruan Zhao leaned closer, meeting those unnerving, piercing black irises as he continued.
“Do you even realize how repulsive your face is? Just looking at you makes me want to vomit.”
If Gu Xingyan was considered ugly, then there weren’t many people in the world who could be called attractive.
“…And that stench clinging to you—do you live in a garbage dump? How could anyone possibly reek like this? No wonder there’s been a strange odor permeating the classroom. Turns out it was emanating from you.”
Ruan Zhao hurled insult after insult, yet Gu Xingyan remained unnervingly silent, simply observing him.
His lack of response made Ruan Zhao feel foolish, like a pathetic jester performing for an indifferent audience.
Now what?
Should he resort to violence?
Ruan Zhao had never hit anyone before.
His gaze drifted to the boy’s pale profile, then down to his own hand.
A slap across the face would be profoundly humiliating, wouldn’t it? And if he wasn’t careful, he might actually injure him…
Perhaps a few light taps on the arm would suffice—just enough to convey the message.
After all, he was merely playing the role of a minor villain, bullying the protagonist during his formative stage. There was no rigid script to adhere to—he could improvise.
With that justification in mind, Ruan Zhao raised his hand, intending to deliver a couple of harmless pats to Gu Xingyan’s arm.
But before he could move, a powerful hand shot out and seized his wrist.
Axolotl Translations 
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