The Counterattack Plan of A Villain With Ten Thousand Fans - Chapter 188 (Patreon)

Chapter 188

The message contained a link that looked no different from the usual spam. Red Dust Swordsman casually locked his phone and turned over to continue sleeping. Just as he closed his eyes, he suddenly remembered the small headline under the link, which snapped him awake. He picked up his phone again and opened the link.

"Host, the male lead saw the female lead's post," reported 098. "But his reaction was odd."

"Oh? What reaction?" Ling Chunann showed some interest.

"It's just... very silent, no expression." Normally, based on the male lead's previous behavior towards Ling Chunann, he should be furious, then hire an internet army to whitewash his image, and slander the host. His current reaction was too abnormal.

"Maybe he's starting to feel guilty," Ling Chunann answered with a smile.

"What..." Before 098 could finish, it suddenly noticed Shu Yiheng arriving and quickly fell silent.

"What's making you so happy?" Shu Yiheng wrapped a scarf around Ling Chunann.

"Seeing you come in," Ling Chunann said, smiling and clinging to Shu Yiheng's neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Let's head out."

Shu Yiheng, clearly enjoying Ling Chunann's affection, wrapped his arms around him to prevent him from falling. The difference in their heights was significant.

Though it was officially spring after the New Year, the temperature hadn't risen much. Ling Chunann hadn't yet felt the chill when Shu Yiheng wrapped him in his arms and got him into the car.

The driver was Yu Zhihang, who had just returned from a half-month vacation and was forced to resume his driving duties. He looked enviously at their interaction, noting that the father and son seemed to have grown closer. Starting the car, he asked, "Young Master, what made you think of going skiing?"

"I've never skied before. Just want to see," Ling Chunann answered seriously.

He had skied countless times, but today was purely to see if there was still potential progress in the main leads' storyline. He also had a feeling something interesting might happen today.

To the east of Qingcheng, there was a 3,000-meter-high mountain developed into a tourist attraction. Normally, it was an artificial ski resort, but this year, it had seen several rare snowfalls, covering it in a magnificent blanket of white.

The road had been cleared, but it was still somewhat slippery. Fortunately, Yu Zhihang's driving skills were decent, ensuring a smooth arrival at the mountain top.

It was still the winter holiday period, making the mountain quite lively with many parents and students. The snow-covered roads were full of footprints.

Ling Chunann glanced at the bustling ski resort and the queue on the ski slopes.

"Should I clear the area?" Shu Yiheng brought up the topic again.

"No need, it's more fun with people around." Ling Chunann was in a good mood. "Let's look around."

Yu Zhihang, who had just brought two sets of skiing gear, stood stunned for a moment before resignedly returning them.

Not far along, Ling Chunann encountered an acquaintance.

"Isn't that your classmate?" Shu Yiheng spotted Yi Ning in the crowd and signaled to Ling Chunann.

"Yeah, I see her," Ling Chunann responded.

Yi Ning and a friend, each holding an ice cream, had asked a passerby to take a photo of them. Just as they posed, Yi Ning suddenly spotted Ling Chunann not far away, her eyes lighting up and her already perfect smile brightening considerably.

"Ning Ning? Ning Ning?"

Pulled back to reality by her friend, Yi Ning asked, "What's up?"

"What are you doing, grinning like that?"

"Nothing, nothing." Yi Ning looked back in Ling Chunann's direction but found he had disappeared, startling her. "Where did he go?"

"What?"

"I thought I saw someone familiar. Round Round, play by yourself for a bit. I'll go look for him." Yi Ning rushed off towards where Ling Chunann had been.

By now, Ling Chunann and Shu Yiheng were heading up the mountain path.

Compared to the flat snowfield at the mountain top, the higher elevation of the back mountain was much lonelier. The snow on the small path hadn't been cleared, showing only a few pairs of footprints that hadn't gone far before turning back.

The snow depth here nearly reached Ling Chunann's knees. He had only walked a few steps before Shu Yiheng picked him up.

Shu Yiheng brushed off the snow on Ling Chunann's trouser legs that hadn't melted yet, then let him climb onto his back. "I'll carry you wherever you want to go."

Considering the long path ahead, Ling Chunann abandoned the idea of walking on his own and comfortably lay on Shu Yiheng's back, holding a camera, taking pictures, and directing him where to go.

Yi Ning searched for a long time but couldn't find Ling Chunann. However, she ran into Yu Zhihang, who also hadn't found Ling Chunann and Shu Yiheng.

"Junior sister? What a coincidence." Yu Zhihang had always had a good impression of his junior sister. "I was planning to find you for some fun after a few busy days. How have you been recently?"

"Senior brother Yu? You're here for fun too?" Yi Ning's expression brightened with surprise, then she glanced around Yu Zhihang, "Are you here alone?"

"No, I came with an old... friend. They've wandered off somewhere, and I'm trying to find them," Yu Zhihang explained. "What about you? You seemed to be looking for someone just now."

"Yeah, a senior. I thought I saw him just now, but he disappeared in a blink of an eye." Yi Ning sounded slightly frustrated. "If I knew earlier, I would've called out to him sooner."

"Someone you like?" Yu Zhihang teased with a smirk. "Didn't you say you weren't planning on dating in college?"

"Pssh, no way." Yi Ning's face flushed red. "Senior brother, you just like to tease me."

"Haha, come on, what's his name? I might know him if he's from our school."

After hesitating, Yi Ning finally said, "His name is Feng Lan."

"Oh, Feng Lan." Yu Zhihang responded, then suddenly realized, "What? Feng Lan?" Wasn't that their young master?

"You know him?"

"Yeah, I know him." Yu Zhihang pondered. Ling Chunann hardly ever went to school, so how did he end up connecting with this junior sister so quickly? Not sure if Shu Yiheng was aware of this.

"Do you know where he went?" Yi Ning asked eagerly.

"Not sure, I'm looking for them too. I tried calling just now, but couldn't get through," Yu Zhihang shrugged. Having met Yi Ning shortly before being tasked by Shu Yiheng to treat Ling Chunann, their friendship hadn't developed much. Though he had a fondness for Yi Ning, learning she liked Ling Chunann didn't bother him.

At this moment, Yi Ning's long-forgotten companion finally caught up, waving her DSLR. "Ning Ning, I just checked online, and they say the snow on the back mountain is gorgeous. Let's go hiking instead, skiing is too crowded and not fun."

"...Okay." Yi Ning turned to Yu Zhihang. "Senior brother, want to join?"

"Sure, it's not safe for just the two of you girls. I'll come along and can take photos for you," Yu Zhihang agreed readily, and the three of them took another path.

On the other side of the mountain, Ling Chunann, with sharp eyes, spotted a snow pit. "There's a cave over there."

"Host, there's a strange force inside, very dangerous. I suggest not going over," 098 advised, regardless of Shu Yiheng's presence.

Ling Chunann didn't respond to 098's suggestion but made another request, "Take a closer look inside."

What's inside? 098 was startled, then carefully probed. Initially, it only felt a strong sense of threat and hadn't noticed anything else. But after Ling Chunann's instruction, it carefully extended its energy into the cave. The scene it witnessed stunned it, "It's... the male lead!"

Why was he here?

An hour earlier.

"An Zijian! What the hell did you bring me to? Why can't we get out?" Red Dust Swordsman, here should be called Tan Linfeng, was furiously complaining to the equally troubled young man beside him. "What kind of ghost cave is this?"

"Linfeng, Linfeng, don't be so aggressive," the young man named An Zijian shrank back. "I was just curious. You didn't say anything before, did you? Besides, there aren't ghosts in here, right?"

"Damn it, I should've stayed home playing games. You had to drag me out here to ski, and now look at us. We're stuck with no phone signal, might as well starve here." Tan Linfeng grumbled, lighting up his phone only to lock it again. "You better pray someone comes to rescue us in the next few days, or believe it or not, I'll eat you!"

"Oh." An Zijian didn't take Tan Linfeng's words seriously until he suddenly exclaimed, "There's another entrance to this cave!"

"Damn, I knew I should've stayed home playing games. Why did I listen to you and come out here to ski? What are you standing there for? Let's go!"

Shu Yiheng set Ling Chunann down in front of the cave entrance. "I'll go in and check it out. You wait here for me."

Ling Chunann shook his head, rejecting the idea, and stepped into the cave first, with Shu Yiheng following with a resigned smile.

As soon as they entered the cave, Ling Chunann noticed the energy inside was different. It bore some resemblance to the dark power within him, but it felt more malevolent and carried a tinge of decay.

The cave was pitch dark, the light from outside seeming to have no reach within this space. However, Ling Chunann's vision was not hindered, and he looked back to see that the entrance they had just passed through had seemingly vanished.

More accurately, it hadn't vanished but was obscured by some illusion, still passable if they approached directly.

"Dear?" Shu Yiheng turned on the flashlight on his phone, pointing towards the interior of the cave.

Ling Chunann nodded, and they proceeded together deeper into the cave.

As they moved forward, light began to filter through the darkness, prompting them to quicken their pace. They exchanged a glance, both sensing the urgency.

Tan Linfeng felt his breath constricting, his surroundings growing dimmer as An Zijian next to him had long since fallen silent, his thoughts fading into obscurity.

He believed he was going to die here.

Suddenly, a beam of light pierced through the darkness, and in its wake, Tan Linfeng saw a flawless face. Was it an angel? He pondered dimly.

Of course, the angelic figure was none other than Ling Chunann, who indifferently moved the flashlight away from the male lead's face and focused on the man ensnared by unknown vines deep within the cave, barely clinging to life. "Are you okay?" he inquired.

"Male lead's favorability +20%, current favorability 100%."

"Congratulations, host. Counterattack value +10%, current counterattack value 50%. Please continue your efforts."

"A new, unknown task has been initiated..."

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