After leaving the school, Li Ran went straight home.
After all, his character setting was that of an ignorant, good-for-nothing, rich young villain. Whether he went to school or not did not matter. His father, Li Lijian, had donated an entire teaching building to Magic Capital University, so as long as he did not do anything outrageous on campus, the teachers would simply turn a blind eye.
Back in his room, Li Ran immediately summoned the system and asked, “System, what was going on with the plot today? Why was Mu Bingxuan acting so strange? And Lin Ming too?”
The system’s mechanical voice responded, “Host, rest assured, this is only a plot reset. The main plotline has not changed. Please do your best to play your role properly so you may return to your original world as soon as possible.”
Li Ran fell silent.
Damn it, something was definitely wrong with today’s plot.
Mu Bingxuan’s sudden change in attitude could barely be explained by Li Lijian putting pressure on the Mu Family. However, what about Lin Ming?
Lin Ming was the protagonist.
Had anyone ever seen a protagonist injured like that while the female lead stood nearby, completely indifferent and unconcerned?
This damn system was clearly lying through its teeth.
Could it be that, just like him, Mu Bingxuan had also been reborn?
But that did not make sense either. Even if she had been reborn, she was still the female lead, what did that have to do with him, a mere licking-dog villain?
After thinking for a while, Li Ran still could not figure it out.
Forget it, he would just trust the system for now. In the end, he had no choice but to rely on it.
So what if the male and female leads liked to add extra drama? He had thoroughly studied “The Actor’s Self-Cultivation” and “The Self-Cultivation of a Vicious Villain.” His acting skills were already perfected.
No matter what kind of scene came his way, he could handle it.
Even if the plot went off track, he could straighten it out himself.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
“Young Master, Master has called you downstairs for dinner,” a servant said.
Li Ran replied, “Got it.”
He then went downstairs.
At the dining table sat a middle-aged man with a square face and a slightly plump middle-aged woman.
These two were Li Ran’s parents in the novel, Li Lijian and Zhang Juan.
Only after Li Ran sat down did the two of them start eating.
“Xiao Ran, I made all your favorite dishes today, try them,” Zhang Juan said as she placed a piece of soft-shelled turtle meat into his bowl.
Li Ran smiled and nodded. The table was filled with dishes he loved.
In the novel, Li Lijian and Zhang Juan doted on him excessively, one could even say they spoiled him. This was also what led to Li Ran developing such a willful personality.
The care and affection they gave him was something Li Ran could always feel.
If there was anyone in this novel he truly cared about, it would undoubtedly be Li Lijian and Zhang Juan.
However, according to the later plot he learned from the system, the couple’s ending was extremely tragic.
In the novel, the protagonist always stood on the side of justice, and Urban Freedom of the Soldier King was no exception.
The Li Family possessed the greatest wealth in the Magic Capital, but their operations were riddled with problems, tax evasion and various illegal activities were everywhere. Visit novelping . com for the full chapter.
After the Li Family was taken over by Lin Ming, representing the so-called righteous side, Li Lijian and Zhang Juan spent the rest of their lives in poverty, wandering the streets.
As Li Ran ate, he recalled the plot concerning them.
“In the novel, after the Li Family’s assets were taken over by Lin Ming, there was no detailed description of Li Lijian and Zhang Juan’s final fate.”
“They could not bear the grief of losing their son. Because of my death, their hair turned white overnight, and they became completely broken.”
“Since their final ending was not described in detail, that makes things easier.”
As a villain, the author would obviously not waste too much effort on him. Usually, only when he needed to be humiliated would the author drag him out and write a few lines.
When the plot was not focused on him, Li Ran had plenty of free time.
Now that the plot had reset, he would not allow Li Lijian and Zhang Juan to end up as miserably as before.
“Xiao Ran, what are you spacing out for?” Zhang Juan said, then added with a smile, “Come, try this braised Yellow River carp. I know you love it, I cooked it myself.”
Li Ran snapped out of his thoughts. He looked at Zhang Juan and silently ate the fish in his bowl.
In his previous life, he had been imprisoned by Lin Ming. It was this very woman in front of him who had gone everywhere pleading for help to get him out.
To save him, Zhang Juan had even knelt before Lin Ming.
Although it was a cliché plot in the novel, it had truly moved him.
Soon, the meal was finished.
Li Ran said, “Dad, Mom, I’m going out for a walk.”
Zhang Juan suddenly remembered something and said, “Wait a moment.”
She walked to a nearby cabinet and took out a box of pastries.
“Here, for you. Your favorite bite-sized pastries.”
Seeing the special label of Jiangnan Su Ji on it, Li Ran felt a surge of surprise.
“Thanks, Mom.”
This box of pastries was not cheap.
Jiangnan Su Ji was a century-old brand, and since it was a special supply item, ordinary people could not even buy it.
Did his mother really prepare this specially for him?
He opened the box. Inside were eight exquisitely crafted pastries, each with a different design.
Li Ran asked curiously, “What’s the occasion today?”
Zhang Juan smiled and said, “Just try them.”
Li Ran did not stand on ceremony. He first gave one each to Li Lijian and Zhang Juan, then picked one up and took a bite.
It was crisp and delicious.
“Tasty, right?” Zhang Juan said, then added, “These were sent by your Aunt Tang.”
“Uh!”
The Aunt Tang Zhang Juan mentioned was her close friend, Tang Wanqing, who owned several chain cosmetics companies.
She was beautiful, with an impressive figure.
But do not misunderstand.
This woman was not a villain, she was on the same side as Lin Ming.
These pastries were sent by Tang Wanqing?
Tang Wanqing gave him a gift?
Stop joking.
Would that woman actually give him something?
Had the sun risen from the west?
Instantly, the pastry in his mouth lost all flavor.
Li Ran’s mind went blank.
Beside him, Zhang Juan had a maid bring over a glass of warm water.
“If it’s good, eat slowly. No one is competing with you.”
Li Ran quickly asked, “Why would Tang Wanqing, I mean Aunt Tang, give me a gift?”
Something was wrong with the plot.
It was still far too early for Tang Wanqing to appear. She was supposed to show up at Mu Bingxuan’s birthday banquet.
Moreover, she had always thought Li Ran was useless, someone who could not be helped no matter what. She had never treated him kindly.
So why would she suddenly send him a box of pastries for no reason?
“Aunt Tang is coming?” Li Ran asked.
Zhang Juan looked at him strangely. Her son did not seem that slow after all.
“Not bad, you figured it out. Your Aunt Tang has a business deal in the Magic Capital in a few days, she said she would drop by to see you.”
Tang Wanqing was coming to see him?
Li Ran froze.
Oh right, he almost forgot. Lin Ming only met Tang Wanqing at Mu Bingxuan’s birthday banquet, so they did not know each other yet.
But even so, it still did not make sense. He was a villain, the kind of person everyone disliked wherever he went.
In any case, something about Tang Wanqing was definitely off.
Zhang Juan added, “Keep your phone on these next few days. I’ve already given your number to Wanqing. She said she’ll contact you herself.”
Li Ran fell silent.
For the next few days, any unknown number would be treated as Tang Wanqing.
He was not picking up a single call.