The Counterattack Plan of A Villain With Ten Thousand Fans - Chapter 20 (Patreon)

Chapter 20

This is a Western restaurant, not the most high-end, but it boasts a peaceful atmosphere and elegant surroundings. The soothing sound of a violin adds a touch of vitality to the quiet restaurant.

Chu Yunge smiled as he naturally stood up and pulled out a chair for Ling Chunan. "I arrived early."

Ling Chunan sat across from Chu Yunge, once again marveling. If this man entered the entertainment industry, even without acting skills, his face alone could carry most of the box office.

Chu Yunge handed the menu to Ling Chunan. "What would you like to eat?"

Suppressing the urge to say, "I want to eat you," Ling Chunan casually ordered a steak. "098, any good suggestions?"

Coldly, 098 remarked, "I suggest the host not focus on love affairs all the time; completing tasks should be the priority."

"Who said I'm here just for a date?" Ling Chunan glanced at the mother and son who had just entered the restaurant. "098, you're not cute at all."

"Sorry, host, I misunderstood you," 098 sincerely apologized, realizing it had forgotten the whereabouts of the main characters in the plot. As a system, it was truly shameful.

However, after reviewing the plot again, 098 found no information indicating that the female lead would appear at this restaurant today. It couldn't help but be puzzled. "Host, how did you know the female lead would come here?"

"The plot mentioned that today the female lead took her son to the aquarium. There's only one aquarium in this city, and it's nearby." Ling Chunan continued, "In the book, it briefly mentioned that her son lost a jingling plush toy, which he got from this restaurant."

Looking at the pile of plush toys at the restaurant's front desk, 098 couldn't help but admire the host. Indeed, coming from an acting background, he remembered even the smallest details of the script.

Of course, Ling Chunan couldn't tell 098 that he had seen the female lead and her group at this restaurant in his past life. After successfully deceiving the system, he continued chatting happily with Chu Yunge.

Despite his appearance, Chu Yunge was well-versed in traditional Chinese culture. Any topic seemed to find a response in him, making the conversation light and enjoyable.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the restaurant entrance. Ling Chunan looked in that direction, and his gaze fell on a man causing the disturbance.

Around 25 or 26 years old, the man was handsome, but his usually composed demeanor now appeared somewhat unstable. With a bruise on his mouth and visible anger on his face, he was the president of Haotian Entertainment Group, a figure Ling Chunan had naturally encountered. "Why is the male lead here?" he wondered.

After a moment, 098 replied, "Host, this scenario is not in the original text."

Ling Chunan observed the unfolding conflict between the male lead and the supporting male character, with the female lead angrily gesturing and the child crying. He raised an eyebrow, knowing the male lead's identity. Would the female lead still sign a contract with his company after this?

"Interested in them, Little Nan?" Chu Yunge refilled Ling Chunan's glass.

Ling Chunan took a sip and smiled, "Just surprised to see the president of Haotian here. Legend has it that he stays aloof from worldly affairs, I wonder if it's true."

"But he's just an ignorant young man," Chu Yunge's tone carried a hint of coldness.

"Huh?" Ling Chunan was puzzled. "Do you know him?"

"We've been discussing some business matters recently." Chu Yunge softened his expression, seeming unwilling to elaborate. He focused on the plate of steak in front of Ling Chunan, which had only been touched slightly. "You haven't eaten much. Does it not suit your taste?"

The disturbance had ended; the male lead left angrily, and the female lead and the supporting male character departed hand in hand.

Ling Chunan withdrew his gaze and looked at the muscular arms of the man sitting across from him. He smiled, "I'm not hungry."

"It's still early; my home is nearby. How about having tea at my place?" Chu Yunge suggested.

"Sure." Ling Chunan agreed immediately.

Feeling a subtle sympathy for the man who had unwittingly invited trouble, 098 couldn't help but remind, "Host, don't forget the bite you took from the male lead during the last mission."

"It's different. I have a feeling; this person is delicious."

"..."

As the president of Haotian Entertainment, Lin Tianhao had encountered numerous women, but he distinctly remembered Yang Qingya. Despite three years passing, he hadn't forgotten her. Seeing her with a child and having dinner with another man made him somewhat disappointed. However, sticking to the principle of not getting involved with married women, he planned to overlook them.

But fate had other plans. The man accompanying Yang Qingya didn't hesitate; he rushed to the restaurant entrance and punched Lin Tianhao. ΘThoughtsΘRabbitΘReadsΘ

Lin Tianhao was momentarily stunned. However, he learned from the man that the child was his?

Impossible. Lin Tianhao touched the bruise on his mouth, chuckled, his expression cold. Many women had tried to climb into his bed, and he thought he had found a good one after three years, only to discover she was trying to use a child for leverage.

"Reversal value +10%, current reversal value is 20%, please continue your efforts, host."

Following Chu Yunge, Ling Chunan arrived at the parking lot and witnessed the male lead driving away with a cold demeanor.

Chu Yunge opened the car door for Ling Chunan, who naturally sat in. "098, do you think he invited me back to his place with ulterior motives? I suddenly feel excited."

"Host, please maintain pure thoughts," 098 said helplessly.

Ling Chunan felt a bit wronged. "I haven't eaten all day; your tasks don't include meals, so I have to find food myself."

It sounded reasonable, and 098 almost succumbed to the persuasion. However, it suddenly realized: who would eat humans in their own homes? After experiencing many hosts, with Ling Chunan being the only one, he dared to complain about not providing meals?

Ignoring the system, which was currently undergoing intense internal struggles, Ling Chunan obediently sat in the passenger seat, "accidentally" forgetting to fasten his seatbelt.

As expected, Chu Yunge, sitting in the driver's seat, leaned over and pulled the seatbelt from Ling Chunan's side, fastening it for him.

The man's scent was pleasant, and Ling Chunan, looking at the neck so close to him, swallowed saliva with a desire evident in his eyes.

098, who had regained composure, reminded, "Host, please restrain yourself."

Chu Yunge's movements were swift. Ling Chunan sighed as the tempting flesh moved farther away.

As Chu Yunge had mentioned, his home was indeed nearby. Ten minutes later, the car smoothly entered an upscale residential area.

Ling Chunan sat upright on the sofa, waiting for the man to come out of the kitchen. Glancing in the direction of the kitchen,

 he suddenly spoke, "Don't worry, I won't bite him."

Having regained consciousness, 098 was surprised.

"At least you, an experienced system, should know that ordinary people have poor recovery abilities. He's so handsome; what if I bite him badly?" Ling Chunan said leisurely.

"...You didn't act like this in the previous world." 098 was unsure about what the unpredictable host was thinking.

"At that time, I had just come out of the little black room; I couldn't control myself." Ling Chunan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "But now, I'm much better."

Thinking about the first day he returned to this world, the host who lost control and almost devoured himself upon arriving home, 098 fell into silence. It suddenly felt that such a host was somewhat pitiful.

As Ling Chunan had mentioned, he was just having tea at Chu Yunge's house, showing no signs of abnormality except occasionally staring at Chu Yunge's figure absentmindedly.

Declining the offer to be escorted home, Ling Chunan had Chu Yunge drop him off again at the restaurant parking lot. Waving goodbye, Ling Chunan calmly drove back to his own home.

On the first day of his return, Ling Chunan dismissed the housekeeper. Now, with the sky fully dark, the empty mansion lacked vitality and seemed somewhat eerie.

With a click, Ling Chunan opened the switch, his face cold as he crossed the living room and walked upstairs into the bedroom.

"Host, are you okay?" Watching Ling Chunan enter the bathroom, 098 expressed some concern.

"Hmm?" Ling Chunan leisurely removed his clothes, sinking into the bathtub. "You're overthinking. What could possibly be wrong with me?"

Lying in the water, gazing at the distorted ceiling rippling with water waves, Ling Chunan asked, "098, do you think it's possible for the same person to appear in two worlds?"

"Impossible," 098 asserted firmly. "According to statistics, every soul in each world is unique and cannot appear in two worlds."

Ling Chunan hummed, closed his eyes, and fell silent.

"Host... what's wrong?" After a while, seeing Ling Chunan still submerged in water, 098 became somewhat fearful. Could the host be contemplating suicide?

"Host, host?" However, its calls went unanswered. Just as 098 was considering whether to take measures to prevent the host from doing something rash, Ling Chunan finally emerged from the water.

098 breathed a sigh of relief. Just as it was about to counsel Ling Chunan against giving in to despair, it suddenly heard him speak, "Five minutes, regressed."

"..."

Seemingly unaware of 098's lingering unease, Ling Chunan continued speaking, "I used to be able to hold my breath underwater for eight minutes."

... What kind of host did it bind to?

Without engaging in further conversation with 098, Ling Chunan expressionlessly dried himself off and then lay on the bed. "098, I want to cure this illness."

"..." So, the host is aware that it's an illness.

"I'm a bit scared." Ling Chunan's voice muffled under the covers sounded somewhat stifled. "I don't find joy in eating others or myself."

"But I can't control it."

"That desire seems deeply ingrained in my soul."

"Host..."

"Before, even a small cut with a knife would terrify me," Ling Chunan continued. "I fear pain."

"But I want to live."

"I thought I could endure until they remembered me."

Having witnessed the scene during the investigation, 098 could vividly depict the situation in its mind.

In the dark void, a nearly lifeless Ling Chunan leaned against the wall, covered in blood. His eyes filled with despair, staring straight at the exit, gradually losing breath.

"But, why did I return to this world?" Ling Chunan's body trembled slightly, his voice seeming choked.

"Host... are you okay?" Having never bound to a host who experienced such cruelty, 098 was somewhat at a loss.

Just as 098 was racking its brain to find comforting words, Ling Chunan suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, 098, you're really adorable!"

"..."

Although the gods did not bestow emotions upon it during its creation, 098 currently felt insulted. It had been deceived by a host who was much younger, only twenty years old. Not adept at observing human emotions, 098 failed to notice that Ling Chunan's eyes did not hold a genuine smile.

After laughing for a while, Ling Chunan closed his eyes, wrapped in the blanket.

For the next half month, Ling Chunan didn't leave his home, spending his days indoors. When hungry, he would nibble on himself, exhibiting a typical self-sufficiency. While 098 complained, it reluctantly provided nutritional supplements and healing potions to ensure Ling Chunan wouldn't bite himself to death or become emaciated before completing the mission.

Perhaps Ling Chunan's performance that night was too convincing. Before knowing what sympathy was, 098 couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for its host.

Ling Chunan didn't provoke Chu Yunge again, and he declined all invitations from Chu Yunge. There was no other reason – Chu Yunge resembled Zeng Wuyue too much.

Although reluctant to admit it, Ling Chunan had a favorable impression of Zeng Wuyue. Occasionally, when he woke up in the morning, he would instinctively reach out. However, the familiar embrace was no longer there. This habit was terrifying, as he had once firmly believed he wouldn't be spoiled.

"What if I can't resist biting him, and he kills me before I complete the mission? Wouldn't that be a mission failure?" Ling Chunan said to 098.

The naive 098 believed his words.

This calmness persisted until the start of the movie shooting.

"Hello, Brother Ling."

"Hello, Chunan."

Many people greeted Ling Chunan along the way. Having been in the industry for over a decade, he was a prominent figure with numerous film awards, earning him the title of "Brother" in the industry. With a smile, Ling Chunan nodded at the people around him, leading his assistants, who had already returned to work, into the dressing room.

Ling Chunan had his exclusive dressing room. Passing by the public dressing room, he unexpectedly discovered the female lead.

Yang Qingya sat in front of the mirror with an elegant and gentle smile on her face, allowing the makeup artist to work on her. She occasionally exchanged words with her manager, appearing kind and likable.

Seeing Ling Chunan, the female lead's smile became warmer. There seemed to be a hint of admiration in her eyes as she said, "Hello, Brother Ling. I look forward to working with you in the future."

Ling Chunan nodded calmly, smiling at her. "Hello."

Entering the dressing room, Ling Chunan asked 098, "Is the female lead signed with Haotian Entertainment?"

"No, Host. She signed with Xinyu Media Company," 098 replied.

The president of Xinyu Media happened to be the grassroots entrepreneur who had once thrown sulfuric acid at Ling Chunan. Ling Chunan stroked his chin, looking somewhat pleased. "I remember in the script at this point, Wu Zichu hadn't met the female lead yet."

"Yes, Host. The female lead, knowing that the male lead is the president of Haotian Entertainment, refused to sign with Haotian. That's why she met the supporting male lead in advance. In this film, the supporting male lead, in order to win the favor of the female lead, spent a lot of money and connections to get her into the movie. However, there's also the factor of the original supporting female lead not being able to continue due to a scandal," 098 explained, reading the information it had gathered to Ling Chunan.

So, the film indeed replaced the supporting female lead, and the replacement was a double-award-winning actress, a prominent figure in the entertainment industry. It seemed the supporting male lead had put in a lot of effort to win the female lead's favor.

"I wonder if his company is still running smoothly?" Ling Chunan half-squinted at his reflection in the mirror.

After finishing makeup and changing clothes, Ling Chunan arrived on the set and waited for the shoot to begin.

The invited journalists' eyes lit up when they saw him, but due to the director's authority, they could only reluctantly raise their cameras and take pictures.

Ling Chunan was used to such scenes, but he was somewhat surprised by the calmness of the female lead.

In the plot, Yang Qingya, the female lead, was seduced by the male lead three years ago before her formal debut. This was supposed to be her first formal interaction with the media. Unexpectedly, she remained composed, gracefully poised. If not for the slight stiffness in her fingers placed by her side, Ling Chunan would almost think she had experienced rebirth.

After a simple press conference, the reluctant journalists were half-forced to leave by the director's assistants.

The first scene officially began.

For auspiciousness, the initial shots were usually chosen for their simplicity in plot, ideally achieving success in a single take.

Thus, the director selected Ling Chunan's solo scene for the first shot.

"Xiaolong, come on! I believe in you," the director patted Ling Chunan's shoulder earnestly, smiling warmly. He then playfully winked, "My best director position is up to you."

Ignoring the occasional covert glances from the female lead, Ling Chunan nodded at the director. "Director Chen, you're too kind. I'll do my best."

"Action!"

The school bell had rung for a long time. The music classroom, empty and silent, had a lonely piano standing in the spacious room. It seemed the last person to use it left in a hurry, as the piano stool stood crookedly beside it, adding a touch of loneliness.

After a while, footsteps echoed from outside the door.

The footsteps were extremely slow, each step carrying a hint of uncertainty.

Gradually, the footsteps stopped outside the classroom door.

"Creak."

As the door was pushed open, the sound reverberated in the classroom, then returned to silence.

Standing behind the door was a young man in white. The evening sun shone through him, illuminating his nearly perfect facial features, especially his eyes, which sparkled in the sunlight.

However, in the next instant, as the young man propped open the door, cautiously taking a step inside, his pupils, beautiful and clean, lacked luster.

He was blind!

This discovery caused everyone present to tighten their hearts.

The young man supported himself against the wall, tentatively stepping forward. Each step was slow, but this scene seemed to have happened countless times before. Upon careful listening, it could be heard that he seemed to be counting numbers aloud.

"Twenty-eight."

He stopped in his tracks. It turned out he was counting his steps. Those who hadn't read the script suddenly understood.

The young man touched the blackboard under his hand, slowly moving towards the center of the classroom. Turning ninety degrees, he began walking towards the middle of the classroom.

He continued counting softly, and everyone watched nervously as he approached the casually placed piano stool. Some were on the verge of reminding him, but the operating cameras reminded them that this was just acting.

When the young man reached the thirtieth step, his leg touched the stool.

A collective sigh of relief echoed as the young man didn't

 fall.

Just as everyone relaxed, a loud thud was heard. The young man, who had been standing upright just moments ago, suddenly fell to the ground. It turned out there was a pen someone had dropped, and it happened to break his balance.

The fallen blind young man was dangerously close to the piano, and another step would have made him hit the piano leg with his head.

One of the assistants couldn't help but let out a low scream, then quickly regained composure. She looked at the director with a pale face, but the director, still fixedly watching Ling Chunan, breathed a sigh of relief, covering his mouth, and continued watching.

The blind teenager, who had fallen, seemed a bit regretful between his brows. Slowly, he stood up, gently opened the piano lid, and his slender fingers touched the keys, producing a clear note.

From a young man who had been expressionless since earlier, a pure smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

The scene fell into silence, with only the sound of the operating camera.

After a while, the director finally regained his senses. Excitedly, he danced and exclaimed, "Xiaolong, you're amazing!"

Ling Chunan turned around, only to see Chu Yunge, who had appeared at some point, walking towards him. Opening his arms, Chu Yunge hugged him, and the words whispered in Ling Chunan's ear made his body suddenly stiff.

"Baby, I love you."

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