Unaccountably, the key plot points had been completed, yet Yan Lin couldn’t feel a hint of joy.
He was still wondering when the protagonist’s feelings for him had actually begun; to think he had spent all this time believing the relationship between the male and female leads was progressing smoothly! He had even tried to tear them apart like a total clown!
Well, perhaps that was just his own delusion.
Memories from the past flickered through his mind one by one. From eight years ago, when he was twelve and met the protagonist for the first time in that mortal village, to their return to the Yaoguang Sect. After that, he had fulfilled his duties as a villain: framing the protagonist, bossing him around, and—after other disciples caused trouble for the protagonist—going to “reason” with those bullies, which only goaded them into bullying and isolating the protagonist even more… piece by piece, incident by incident.
Yan Lin felt he had fulfilled his role quite well, so much so that he had successfully crushed the protagonist, requiring him—the villain—to be the one to make the protagonist pull himself together again.
Recalling this, Yan Lin couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pride. These were all the fruits of his diligent, hardworking labor as a villain. Although he felt a bit sorry for the protagonist, this was all a necessary path for his growth.
Then, however, another thought occurred to him: the protagonist had always maintained that submissive, never-resisting demeanor in front of him. Even later, when he began to stand out and shine brilliantly within the sect, his attitude toward Yan Lin never changed…
Suddenly, a chilling thought crept in.
Yan Lin quickly shook his head to discard that terrifying idea. The protagonist couldn’t possibly have liked him from the very beginning; there must be some other reason for this!
Yet, no matter how much Yan Lin ruminated, he couldn’t come up with a logical explanation.
He couldn’t help but recall the female lead who appeared later. At that time, the female lead definitely liked the male lead, yet her confession was rejected. Yan Lin had been astonished when he heard it, assuming the male lead simply hadn’t “awakened” yet but was subconsciously attracted to her. When the female lead intentionally acted close to Yan Lin, the male lead’s actions… Stop!
Yan Lin couldn’t help but press his hand to his forehead.
Preconceived notions were truly terrifying.
At this moment, with the protagonist as a point of comparison, Yan Lin felt a bit of relief. The fact that the female lead 100% liked the male lead and was only acting close to him on purpose—that part should be correct.
So, why on earth did the protagonist fall for him?
Yan Lin found it preposterous, utterly irrational.
Why wouldn’t you like Xiao Xiao’er, such a fragrant and beautiful young girl? She is your fated partner! Yet you took a massive detour halfway, not only becoming a “broken sleeve” (homosexual) but specifically falling for him??
Tell a joke: The protagonist fell in love with the villain.
Yan Lin: “…”
He didn’t find it funny at all; in fact, he was a bit frantic.
Compared to this, Yan Lin felt the crumbling plot looked much cuter. After all, if the plot deviated, he could still use his actions to steer it back, but the protagonist’s emotional issues were extremely hard to deal with.
Thinking of this, Yan Lin couldn’t help but sigh again.
“Why is Senior Brother Lin’er sighing?”
A slightly familiar voice drifted over. It was Xiao Xiao’er, looking at him with sparkling eyes and her head slightly tilted; she seemed to be in a very good mood.
…Speaking of which, the female lead probably doesn’t know that the male lead not only doesn’t like her but has actually fallen for the villain, right?
For a moment, Yan Lin felt a sense of shared misfortune. His gaze toward the young beauty grew increasingly soft, as if he were comforting someone else while simultaneously comforting his own wounded little soul.
However, this scene fell into the eyes of Yan Li, who was standing not far away. His eyes darkened as he looked at Xiao Xiao’er, who had once again taken the opportunity of his absence from his Senior Brother’s side to visit uninvited.
Xiao Xiao’er suddenly shuddered. Turning her head, she indeed saw Yan Li’s figure. Under his increasingly gloomy gaze, her expression gradually stiffened.
She remembered that day with this man
At that time, his eyes were particularly eerie and terrifying. Instinct had made Xiao Xiao’er feel an unprecedented fear, yet at the thought of Senior Brother Lin’er, whose life was nearing its end and who only the person before her could save, Xiao Xiao’er stopped trembling.
Even though she knew he would definitely save Senior Brother Lin’er and would never watch his fate as a “Rootless One” take its toll, Xiao Xiao’er didn’t dare to gamble on that one-in-a-ten-thousand chance.
In the end, she lowered her head.
As a condition, however, she would receive news regarding Senior Brother Lin’er and could still occasionally stay by his side, provided she buried her feelings for him deep in her heart without showing a trace.
Although she didn’t know Yan Li’s ultimate motive, for Xiao Xiao’er, being able to continue staying by Senior Brother Lin’er’s side was enough to satisfy her.
At the same time, she could keep an eye out to prevent him from doing anything to harm Senior Brother Lin’er…
Now, amidst Xiao Xiao’er’s stiff expression, Yan Li slowly walked over. As his gaze shifted, the icy chill in his eyes seemed to melt, replaced by a shallow, hidden smile.
“Senior Brother…”
Yan Lin, who had thought the female lead was just dazed by the male lead’s looks, felt a wave of resistance wash over him the moment he heard that voice.
In the past, he was either blind or the protagonist was too good at pretending. Now that he finally knew the protagonist harbored… those kinds of feelings for him, Yan Lin felt incredibly awkward.
Thus, he planned to ignore him as usual. For the past few days since he woke up, he had been dealing with the protagonist this way. Although in the eyes of an insider, his behavior might seem a bit “scumbag-ish”—the protagonist willingly gave up his Supreme Mysterious Spirit Bone, a grand spirit of self-sacrifice, yet Yan Lin remained cold and indifferent—didn’t this perfectly fit his identity as a villain?
“…” Even at a time like this, he still didn’t forget his duty as a villain; a capitalist would probably weep at such dedication.
Yan Lin tried to find joy in his misery.
He didn’t see the increasingly dark look in Yan Li’s eyes as he watched him.
Then, Yan Li glanced sideways at Xiao Xiao’er and said: “It seems True Person Nanyang is looking for you.”
Regardless of whether this statement was true or false, Xiao Xiao’er, sensing the intent to drive her away, could only stand up reluctantly and take her leave.
Blue sky, white clouds, and beautiful scenery. In this quiet air, only Yan Lin and Yan Li remained.
However, no matter how beautiful the surroundings were, Yan Lin had no time to appreciate them; he was filled with nothing but embarrassment and unease.
Before he could think of an excuse to leave this time, he saw Yan Li suddenly take a few steps forward to stand in front of him. A smile curled at the corners of his mouth, which, paired with his handsome face, would likely make any girl blush.
Being the protagonist, his appearance was naturally extraordinary. It’s just that compared to Yan Lin’s delicate beauty, his looks were more rugged, a cold sharpness with distinct angles.
Truth be told, ever since he had begun to stand out at the Sect Competition years ago and had now revealed his full brilliance, the disciples’ views of him had shifted, and he had even garnered the admiration of many junior sisters.
He lowered his eyes slightly, appearing somewhat hurt.
“Why does the Senior Brother always avoid this Junior Brother?”
However, Yan Lin was not deceived by this act. Seeing the path being blocked, his beautiful brows twitched as a sense of foreboding rose within him.
Before this, the protagonist had never behaved so presumptuously in front of him. Every time, he had been submissive to whatever Yan Lin said.
Once, he had hoped the protagonist would resist him a little. Now that the protagonist was showing it, it gave him a strangely horrifying feeling. Indeed, there was something very wrong with this protagonist!
“Why doesn’t the Senior Brother speak? Is it because I haven’t done well enough?”
He took two more steps forward, and the distance between them closed instantly, so close they could almost feel each other’s breath.
Yan Lin couldn’t help but step back, only to be suddenly leaned into by the other, who seemed to take a mile for every inch given. That undisguised, dark gaze carried a blatant desire, falling upon Yan Lin’s brows, nose, lips, and then inching downward.
“Enough!”
Yan Lin truly couldn’t take it anymore. Avoiding him didn’t mean he had to endure these feelings. He reached out to push him away, only to have his wrist grabbed in an instant.
Caught off guard, he crashed into an embrace. His nose was filled with a cold, crisp scent. Before Yan Lin could react, he was held tightly within a warmth that felt as though it could scorch and melt him.
Burying his head in the crook of Yan Lin’s neck, Yan Li took a deep breath.
“Senior Brother already knows, doesn’t he… In that case, you should also realize that what I can least endure is for my Senior Brother to treat me as if I don’t exist.”
Through two thin layers of fabric, their heartbeats seemed to press against each other. Feeling Senior Brother being permeated from the inside out by his own aura, Yan Li’s eyes narrowed slightly, filled with a look of blissful satisfaction.
That hot breath brushed against the side of his neck, making Yan Lin’s entire body stiffen. However, before he could resist, the other person proactively let go and stepped back two paces, a smile playing on his lips and a blatant, almost obsessive look in his eyes.
“I only hope that Senior Brother won’t reject me~”
Yan Lin: “…”
Is this sickly, twisted person really the protagonist?!!
Originally, when he realized the protagonist harbored unspeakable feelings for him, Yan Lin wanted to try and save the other’s view of love, to show him that being a “broken sleeve” was not the way.
Even if he didn’t like Xiao Xiao’er, his fated partner, and even if he had turned completely gay, Yan Lin could have introduced him to some high-quality male disciples in the sect.
There is no future for a protagonist and a villain. Most importantly, how was his plot supposed to continue?!
But seeing him like this now, even eight oxen couldn’t pull him back. Yan Lin gave up.
Instead, he placed his last straw of hope on the teetering plot.
Now, the protagonist’s “slap-in-the-face” counterattack was complete, and the villain’s “bone-gouging to save his life” step was also considered complete—the only unexpected thing was the protagonist’s proactive cooperation. So, when on earth did the protagonist get involved with True Person Wuyan?
Yan Lin massaged his throbbing forehead, suppressing the urge to think about these things that made his blood pressure skyrocket, and tried to pull his attention back to the broken plot.
Although the protagonist was somehow “broken” now, the plot could still be patched up and saved… right?
Next should be the “Demons Plague the World” arc. After a narrow escape from death, the protagonist accidentally stumbles into a rift in the abyss, where he obtains his greatest opportunity and reshapes his skeletal roots… Wait.
Yan Lin suddenly realized something.
Now that the plot had collapsed and the protagonist had voluntarily offered his Supreme Mysterious Spirit Bone to extend Yan Lin’s life, why did the protagonist as he looked at him now not seem at all like someone whose cultivation had plummeted and who was at death’s door after having a bone gouged out??
Little question mark, do you have many friends?