In the village, Cao Cheng walked along the road with a bored expression. While searching for Xu Qingrou’s house, he listened to the system prompts in his mind.
[Ding! Detected that the host has successfully disrupted the plot. Reward: 100 Villain Points. Additionally detected that the host’s behavioral bottom line is relatively low. I like it, hehe. Charm +2.]
[Ding! The host’s attribute panel has been unlocked and can be viewed at any time.]
[Ding! Rewards have been distributed to the system space. The host may retrieve them at any time.]
Hearing the familiar mechanical voice, Cao Cheng immediately opened the panel.
[Host: Cao Cheng
Luck Value: 96 (Note: an ordinary person has a Luck Value of 50)
Villain Points: 100
Villain Aura: 198
Realm: middle stage Foundation Establishment Realm
Charm: 98 (Note: a normal adult male has a Charm of 60)
Special Skills: none.]
After reading through it, most of it was easy to understand. Only the Villain Aura left him puzzled.
[Ding! Aura suppresses the protagonist and other characters. The higher the aura value, the stronger the suppression. At sufficiently high levels, it can even make the protagonist and others submit. Conversely, if the Villain Aura is too low, it becomes easier to be countered. Note: successful evil actions increase Villain Aura.]
[Reminder: excessive evil actions may trigger censorship. Please proceed with caution.]
Cao Cheng curled his lips.
‘Then what about Villain Points, can they be used to exchange items?’
[Ding! The system shop must be unlocked.]
‘Then open it.’
[Ding! Deducting 100 Villain Points. The system shop has been successfully unlocked.]
Cao Cheng’s face darkened as his points instantly dropped to zero. Muttering curses under his breath, he opened the shop, only to feel even more annoyed.
The cheapest item started at 300 points.
This was practically robbery.
No matter how much he complained, the system stayed silent. Left with no choice, he shifted his attention.
‘Was the original host’s charm really that high?’
[Ding! The original host’s charm was 88. After the system infused strength and removed the previous frailty, it increased by 8 points.]
Cao Cheng did not argue. A few days ago, the body had indeed looked weak.
An 88 charm was already enough to attract most women. Now at 98, it was almost overwhelming.
At least this reward was useful.
Still, he felt a bit dissatisfied.
‘System, you said my moral bottom line is low?’
[Ding! Host, there is no need to be modest. The lower the bottom line, the richer the rewards.]
Cao Cheng’s eyes lit up slightly.
‘What about Luck Value?’
[Ding! Causing the protagonist’s mentality to collapse, or intercepting people or items that provide him with luck, can temporarily suppress his Luck Value. The lower the Luck Value of the Child of Destiny, the easier it is to kill him. When the Child of Destiny is killed or submits, the higher the suppressed Luck Value, the greater the reward. The opposite also applies.]
After understanding everything, Cao Cheng finally grasped how the system worked.
At the same time, he realized it was completely shameless.
Still, he had no choice but to rely on it.
As he walked, he began organizing the plot in his mind.
Xu Qingrou’s son, Chu Fan, was the protagonist. Two years ago, he had left Magic City after being tricked by a roadside advertisement. A shady agent had sent him straight into the war-torn Middle East.
Fortunately, protected by the protagonist’s halo, he encountered the Old Dragon King.
Under that influence, the Old Dragon King treated him as his deceased son, passing on a massive assassin organization and teaching him various skills.
After the Old Dragon King died, Chu Fan took control of the organization and secured his position. Then he secretly returned to the nation, planning to take Xu Qingrou away to live a good life.
But after returning, he discovered that his beautiful mother had been severely injured by Cao Cheng’s subordinates.
As a Dragon King, how could Chu Fan endure that.
Naturally, he stayed to take revenge.
That was how the story originally unfolded.
But now, things had changed.
Cao Cheng had not harmed Xu Qingrou, and she did not harbor hatred toward him.
So he began calculating how to deal the greatest blow to Chu Fan.
As his thoughts deepened, certain infamous figures came to mind. His eyes lit up, and he started forming a plan.
Setting aside the protagonist’s halo, with the current situation, he and Xu Qingrou would have little chance of interacting in the future.
Let alone forming a close relationship.
Even if he forced something, it would only be physical and meaningless. There was no way she would turn against Chu Fan, which meant no chance to destabilize his mentality or seize his Luck Value.
And once Chu Fan returned, if he missed the timing, Xu Qingrou might be taken abroad immediately.
Time was limited.
If he wanted Xu Qingrou to turn against Chu Fan, careful planning was required.
Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
His thoughts were interrupted, and he cursed softly before answering.
Wang Long’s voice came through, “Young Master, you’re in the village too? Where are you? Do you need me to pick you up?”
At that moment, an idea formed in Cao Cheng’s mind.
This man might be unreliable, but he knew plenty of thugs and street figures.
…
A few minutes later, under Wang Long’s lead, Cao Cheng arrived at Xu Qingrou’s house.
A truck was parked outside, and several workers were carrying items back and forth.
In the courtyard, Xu Qingrou stood there, watching silently with a worried expression. She clearly did not want to leave.
When she saw Cao Cheng, she forced a faint smile.
Cao Cheng said, “Miss Xu, I’ve resolved the matter over there. If you have nothing else, I’ll be leaving soon.”
Xu Qingrou looked at him with curiosity. “Have they all gone back?”
“They’ve gone back.”
She sighed softly. Though reluctant, she understood that she had no choice but to move today.
At the same time, confusion surfaced in her mind. When they first came, everyone had sworn they would rather die than let the demolition proceed.
Unless…
She hesitated, then asked, “How did you convince them?”
Cao Cheng noticed the doubt in her eyes and replied calmly, “I reasoned with them. After hearing it, they felt it made sense, so they left.”
He did not give her time to dwell on it and quickly changed the topic.
“Do you have any requirements for your new place?”
“Not really. It’s only temporary. I’ll move again after I find something suitable.”
Seeing her relax, Cao Cheng felt relieved.
“Then I’ll arrange a place for you. Once everything is moved, Wang Long will take you there.”
Xu Qingrou glanced at Wang Long, a trace of hesitation flashing across her face. Soon, she forced a polite smile.
“Thank you.”
Wang Long laughed, “It’s no trouble at all. Just follow me later.”
Xu Qingrou silently rolled her eyes.
If Cao Cheng were not here, would this man really help her?
She had just seen him casually ordering others to beat someone. It was obvious he was used to it.
Thinking of that, she looked at Cao Cheng again, and gratitude appeared in her eyes.
If he had not been present, she might have already been dragged into trouble.
Cao Cheng then said, “Miss Xu, didn’t I mention helping you find your son? Send me his basic information, and if possible, a photo.”
“Thank you!”
Xu Qingrou agreed without hesitation.
Her son had been missing for over two years. She had tried everything, but with no connections or money, she had not found even a single clue.
She had thought Cao Cheng’s earlier words were just polite talk, but now it seemed he truly intended to help.
Compared to her powerless situation, if Cao Cheng was willing to help, there was real hope.
Unless her son was no longer alive.
But as long as there was even a chance, she would never give up.
She quickly took out her phone, stepped closer to Cao Cheng, added his contact, and sent all of Chu Fan’s information, including his photo.
After doing so, she looked at him as he carefully examined the details, and warmth quietly rose in her heart.
He had not made things difficult for her, had helped her move, and was even the first person to actively offer help in finding her son.
Meanwhile, Cao Cheng studied the photo seriously.
Not because he intended to help.
But because this man would one day come for his life.
After firmly memorizing Chu Fan’s face, he finally noticed Xu Qingrou standing very close to him.
Perhaps due to her excitement, she had unconsciously leaned toward him.
…
Fortunately, her attention remained fixed on her phone, on her son.
Otherwise, the moment she looked up, she would have seen the wolf-like gleam in Cao Cheng’s eyes.
And the barely restrained greed within them.