I Became the Most Popular Character by Acting as a Villain in the Manga

Chapter 11

I carried the clothes to the corridor where the fitting rooms were located. There were fitting rooms on both sides, with cotton and linen curtains covering the insides.

I called out softly, “Duan Xingzhi?”

The curtain of a fitting room in front was pulled open, and Duan Xingzhi’s head peeked out, his white-gold hair falling over his shoulders with his movement. He looked at Bai Xuechao, and although he had no expression on his face, I inexplicably found him obedient, like a large Golden Retriever waiting for its owner to come home.

Bai Xuechao walked into the fitting room and saw that Duan Xingzhi was still wearing his previous clothes, so he asked him, “You didn’t change your clothes?”

“I was waiting for you,” Duan Xingzhi replied.

At that moment, Bai Xuechao actually understood Duan Xingzhi’s thought process, because he had told Duan Xingzhi earlier, “Go to the fitting room and wait for me,” so the guy really just waited for him.

Why just wait idly, why didn't he change his clothes??

Xiao 6 couldn’t help but exclaim, holding its code heart, “Wow, Duan Xingzhi is so clueless, so cute! I no longer blame him for killing the original villain; after all, what evil intentions could a little simpleton have? He just wanted to clear away those who were blocking his path!”

Bai Xuechao: “…”

Xiao 6, it had to be you.

I had already learned to ignore Xiao 6’s love-brained comments.

“Change your clothes,” Bai Xuechao said, placing all the clothes in his arms onto the fitting room chair, explaining which one to wear, and then he stepped out to wait for Duan Xingzhi.

After Duan Xingzhi changed his clothes and pulled open the curtain, Bai Xuechao went back in to help him put on the accessories and took photos with his phone.

After both outfits were tried on, Bai Xuechao showed Duan Xingzhi the photos on his phone and asked, “Which outfit do you like? Or do you dislike both?”

Duan Xingzhi looked at both photos and said, “Either is fine.”

This was truly the answer one least wanted to hear when making a choice. But based on my understanding of Duan Xingzhi, he genuinely felt that either was fine, it didn't matter, and he could wear any of them.

In the past, I would have directly made the decision for Duan Xingzhi in such situations, but this time I said, “No, you have to choose it yourself.”

I wanted Duan Xingzhi to learn to make decisions independently!

“Then this one,” Duan Xingzhi said, casually pointing at the first photo: a stand-collar ruffle-sleeved shirt paired with a black vest, and a gothic-style cloak over it, giving off a dark yet luxurious feeling. It was said that gothic literature, once popular, often used vampires as iconic elements.

Xiao 6 whimpered softly in my head, “Although Duan Xingzhi looks very handsome dressed as a vampire, I still prefer him in Military Lolita, boo-hoo-hoo, why didn’t he choose Military Lolita!”

At that moment, Duan Xingzhi was wearing the Military Lolita outfit that Xiao 6 kept thinking about. The fluffy, soft fur collar rested on his shoulders. He touched the fur collar and said, “This is a bit hot.”

By a strange coincidence, he had just answered Xiao 6’s question.

Bai Xuechao and Xiao 6: “…”

Hmm, that was indeed a very valid reason.

After choosing the clothes for Duan Xingzhi to wear for tomorrow’s Halloween Month event, Duan Xingzhi changed back into his previous clothes. I returned the unwanted Military Lolita outfit to the Nurse sister who was tidying up tried-on clothes at the fitting room entrance and told Duan Xingzhi to sit nearby for a while while I went to choose clothes for myself.

Outside the fitting room, the three members of the protagonist group were no longer visible, and the scent of lure-pheromone in the air had almost dissipated; they had likely left some time after buying their clothes.

I observed the choices of other customers for a while and then walked to the Hanfu section.

In recent years, Hanfu culture had seen a revival, with more and more people willing to wear Hanfu out. At that moment, there were quite a few customers choosing clothes in the Hanfu section.

As I walked, I listened to Xiao 6 chirping recommendations in my head, “Wow, this Feiyu suit looks great! Wear this, Host, you’ll definitely be the most dazzling cub in the park! Wow, this dragon robe is so magnificent, the embroidery is so beautiful, choose this one!”

“Choose this one,” I said, walking to a clothes rack where round-collar robes were hung.

This row of Hanfu garments consisted entirely of round-collar robes in various colors, likely the store’s popular basic models. Their style and fabric were identical, all Tang Dynasty-style, with narrow sleeves for easy movement, and the fabric was woven with subtle jacquard patterns.

I chose a red one, matched it with a leather belt, and then went to pick up a set of white jacquard pattern cross-collar inner garment and trousers from next to it, which were also popular basic models in the store.

Xiao 6 couldn’t help but advise, “Host, aren’t you going to choose another one? This is a bit too common; you’ll already be matching outfits with many people.”

The Host’s beauty couldn’t be buried in the crowd!

Almost as soon as Xiao 6 finished speaking, we saw a couple passing by.

The clothes at this Four-pit store were not only for sale but also for rent, and they offered makeup and styling services. This couple had likely just returned from playing at the Marine amusement park today. The boy was wearing a red round-collar robe, and the girl was wearing a red Ruqun with a wide-sleeved shirt and Pibo. Both had deathly pale makeup, blush applied excessively, and even bloodstains, looking like a pair of ghostly husband and wife.

The Ghost groom saw me holding a red round-collar robe identical in style to the one he was wearing, and as he passed me, he gave a thumbs-up, saying, “Brother, you have good taste!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than another boy, also part of a couple, walked towards them wearing the same red round-collar robe. They were currently booking tomorrow’s Ghost bride and Ghost groom makeup and styling with a nearby store clerk.

I was very satisfied and said to Xiao 6, “See? This is exactly the effect I want.”

Xiao 6: “Huh?”

I walked towards the fitting room with the clothes, saying, “I want to match outfits, the more identical the better. That way, when I go to snatch the Special ability energy crystal, the chances of being recognized will be smaller.”

Xiao 6’s code was shocked, “You’re going to snatch the Special ability energy crystal?”

“Yes, aren’t I supposed to use means to get it?” I calmly replied, “Snatching is also a type of means, and it’s very convenient, isn’t it?”

Xiao 6 was just a bit worried, “Host, has your special ability level reached Level 6? The male lead can nullify abilities, you know.”

“Xiao 6, I think you might have a slight misunderstanding about me. Being in poor health doesn't mean my special ability level is also low,” I said lightly. “I awakened my special ability when I was 6 years old, and I’m currently at Level 8. My special ability value isn't too far from Level 9 either.”

Xiao 6: Shocked.jpg

So I picked up a big shot! Clutching tightly to his thigh!

Bai Xuechao’s character setting didn't mention special abilities or levels, and he was naturally sickly. Moreover, according to the original plot, the villain who replaced him after Bai Xuechao died of illness had a special ability level of 5, primarily growing into a rival alongside the manga’s male lead. Therefore, Xiao 6 had some preconceived notions about Bai Xuechao, assuming his level wasn't high and was within the male lead's nullification range.

Theoretically, there were 10 levels for special ability users, but currently, the peak combat power was only Level 9.

Because special ability users needed to consume many mutated creatures to upgrade, and the higher the level, the better, but currently, there weren’t many high-level mutated creatures, and they were extremely difficult to deal with, so special ability users upgraded slowly.

According to the author Bai Guzi’s setting, there were currently only four Level 9 special ability users, and one of them was Duan Xingzhi, making it impossible for him to attack Bai Xuechao.

In other words, with Bai Xuechao’s Level 8 special ability, unless he was unlucky enough to encounter a Level 9 special ability user obstructing him, things would be difficult; otherwise, whatever he wanted to do would be relatively stable.

However, not to mention that those few Level 9 special ability users couldn't possibly appear in D City now, even if they did, it wouldn't matter; wasn't Duan Xingzhi still here?

Xiao 6: This is a sure thing; I felt like I saw my salary waving at me!

I went to the fitting room to try on the round-collar robe. The size I chose was perfect, with no issues.

I took Duan Xingzhi to pay for both outfits. The Nurse sister found new, unopened clothes from the warehouse, packed them for me, and placed them into a large tote bag.

After buying the clothes, we returned to the hotel, and I washed up and rested.

***

The next afternoon, Kunpeng Marine Floating Island Park.

The agreed time was 1 PM, so Bai Xuechao and Duan Xingzhi only went after having lunch at the hotel. They hadn't changed into their Halloween Month event costumes and were still wearing their regular clothes. The two outfits purchased yesterday were still in the tote bag, carried into the car by Duan Xingzhi.

When the car stopped near the entrance of the Marine amusement park, Qiao Zhanpeng’s assistant was already waiting for them there.

The assistant expressed his welcome to them, reaching out to take the tote bag with clothes from Duan Xingzhi’s hand to help carry it, but Duan Xingzhi didn’t hand it over. So he didn’t insist further, smiling and leading the way.

The assistant led them towards the VIP channel. Bai Xuechao and Duan Xingzhi followed behind the assistant, walking side by side.

They didn’t bring any assistants; after all, both their intellect and combat power were already there, so there was no need to bring more people.

Although it was already afternoon, there were still some tourists queuing to enter the park in front of the main gate. Almost all of them had dressed up for the Halloween Month event, chatting and laughing while waiting in line, and even taking photos together.

Standing out from this group of tourists was an elderly couple. They held a large missing person poster in front of them, looking haggard, and stood not far from the tourists. However, they were outside the queue and weren't blocking anyone’s path, resembling two silent signposts.

I noticed the couple and asked, “What’s going on with them?”

Hearing this, the assistant followed my gaze and, upon seeing the elderly couple, revealed an expression of accustomed pity on his face, speaking with a touch of sadness: “Their daughter and her friend went missing after leaving the park by boat. The police investigated and said they didn't disappear inside the park, so it wasn't related to us, but they still come every day to search. It’s said that they had a daughter late in life and she’s their only child; not only was she successful, but also exceptionally filial. The boss saw how pitiful they were, so he didn't drive them away.”

“I see, that’s quite pitiful,” I said with a calm expression, and after speaking, I no longer paid attention to the couple.

In reality, my hand had fingerprint-unlocked my phone in my coat pocket. While the assistant was leading the way and not looking at us, I sent a message to the organization’s intelligence department.

[Investigate how many people have gone missing after leaving the Marine amusement park.]

The assistant led us through the VIP channel.

The Marine amusement park had a new look for the Halloween Month event. To match the theme of “Ghost Gate Opening,” the decorations used elements of Chinese horror, transforming the entire park.

Red double-happiness characters were pasted on the doors of the buildings, paper figures were placed at entrances and along the roadsides, all streetlights were hung with red lanterns, white bones peeked out from the bushes and flowerbeds in the green belts, eerie red silk hung from tree branches, and red embroidered shoes were placed on trash cans…

Even the electric carriages carrying tourists outside the passage were decorated to look like bridal sedans.

The assistant took Bai Xuechao and Duan Xingzhi onto an electric carriage, styled like a bridal sedan, heading to the center of the Marine amusement park’s land area. There, a building resembling an underwater palace had been constructed. The first floor was open to tourists for free entry and photos, the second floor was open depending on circumstances, and the third floor was Qiao Zhanpeng’s office.

This palace also had event decorations. The giant pearl shell streetlights at the entrance were wrapped with red threads, from which hung a skeleton hand.

Once inside, it was even more striking: several paper figures stood by the walls, and spirit money lay on the ground.

Some tourists were dressed as Eastern ghosts, others as Western ghosts; Jiangshi and zombies stood in front of the paper figures making heart gestures; on the left were shrimp soldiers and crab generals, and on the right were witches and demons. The tourists chatted and laughed, creating a lively atmosphere, and the air was filled with happiness.

The assistant led Bai Xuechao and Duan Xingzhi upstairs via the adjacent staff channel. The sounds of tourists playing gradually faded, and they arrived on the third floor.

Qiao Zhanpeng was waiting at the office door, presumably to coordinate with the Halloween Month event. He was wearing a black Chinese long gown with a red mandarin jacket over it.

Seeing them, Qiao Zhanpeng revealed a polite smile.

After Bai Xuechao and Duan Xingzhi shook hands with him, the three of them walked into the office together, while the assistant left.

This negotiation didn't go smoothly, as the Dark Organization had breached the contract first.

Qiao Zhanpeng took out the contract they had signed previously, displaying a firm yet yielding attitude. He first praised the organization, elevating it, then questioned how the organization could be untrustworthy. He then repeatedly stated that he was old and couldn't handle more trouble, no longer wanting to be involved in the trade line, even if the organization was willing to reduce the amount he submitted annually.

His attitude was somewhat unexpected for me, firmer than I had imagined, and I didn’t know who had given him the confidence to be so resolute.

After the second round of negotiations reached a stalemate, I said, “I’ll give you time to reconsider.”

“Mr. Bai, I’ve already considered it very seriously,” Qiao Zhanpeng said, his tone softening considerably, with a hint of complaint. “Ever since my son Qiao Jing entered junior high, I’ve had thoughts of retiring. I’m old, and I’m a non-special ability user. I’ve even been injured over the years while running goods for the organization. My son Qiao Jing is still young; his mother died early. We can’t let him lose his father too, can we?”

Hearing this, the Dark Organization seemed quite inhuman, like forcing retired old employees to return to work.

Duan Xingzhi sat without speaking, not even a trace of expression on his face.

I rested my chin on one hand, my red, plum-blossom-like eyes casually scanning the surroundings, unsure if I was looking or searching for something, but in any case, it seemed I wasn't paying much attention.

Qiao Zhanpeng took off his red mandarin jacket, unbuttoning his long gown as he said, “Mr. Bai, look at the scars from when I was burned by a special ability user while running goods back then; I almost lost my life! Even if I haven’t contributed much over the years, I’ve certainly endured hardships, haven’t I?”

He unbuttoned his long gown, revealing that the skin on his chest was completely burned beyond recognition, leaving hideous and terrifying scars.

My gaze, however, fell between Qiao Zhanpeng’s collarbones.

Previously, the collar of the long gown had completely covered it, but now it was visible. Qiao Zhanpeng was wearing a jade Buddha around his neck, made of fine jadeite, with excellent translucency and clarity.

I suddenly said, “Boss Qiao, your jadeite is quite good.”

Unexpectedly, half a day of playing the victim only resulted in this one sentence. Qiao Zhanpeng was momentarily stunned, then chuckled awkwardly, “A friend gave it to me. Mr. Bai, do you like it?”

He made to take off the jade Buddha he was wearing around his neck, as if he would give it away if I just said I liked it.

“I don’t like it,” I said.

If I remembered correctly, last year Jiang Yunyi had gambled on rough jade and uncovered two pieces of jadeite. Coincidentally, I had seen both pieces, and I realized that one of them seemed to be currently worn around Qiao Zhanpeng’s neck.

I had just been looking for any items in the office that might be connected to the person behind Qiao Zhanpeng, and indeed, I found one.

So that was it.

If it was Jiang Yunyi, then Qiao Zhanpeng’s attitude wasn't strange; he was likely acting under Jiang Yunyi’s instructions.

I now also knew the main reason why Jiang Yunyi was dissatisfied earlier because his mission had been snatched, and he didn’t want me to come over.

Was he afraid I would find out?

Just then, the screen of the phone I had placed next to me lit up, showing that I had received information from the intelligence department. Because I had deliberately set it to silent earlier, there was no sound.

I merely glanced at it before retracting my gaze, then I raised my eyes to look at Qiao Zhanpeng, who was across from me, unsure how to respond because I had said I didn't like it. I slowly asked, “I’m just a little curious, why are you following Jiang Yunyi?”

My simple statement instantly turned Qiao Zhanpeng’s face pale.

The Old leader of the Dark Organization grew more suspicious with age, which made him a bundle of contradictions.

He was willing to delegate power to the four cadres of the organization but didn't want to see them become too powerful and control everything; what he wanted to see was the cadres checking each other. He allowed the cadres to manage and control all of the organization’s affiliated enterprises or small groups but didn’t allow those affiliates to pledge allegiance to any single cadre—in short, no factionalism.

If the Old leader knew that Qiao Zhanpeng had allied himself with Jiang Yunyi, he probably wouldn't do anything to Jiang Yunyi, but he would certainly be more wary of him and weaken his influence.

As for Qiao Zhanpeng, the Old leader might only punish him for profit, temporarily sparing his life, but sooner or later, under increasing suspicion, he would issue the order to kill him, especially after finding someone to replace him, at which point he would be immediately killed.

Qiao Zhanpeng clearly knew this, which was why his face changed.

Even if his son, Qiao Jing, used a Special ability energy crystal, he couldn't instantly skyrocket to Level 9, and Duan Xingzhi was the organization’s recognized strongest combatant, a Level 9 special ability user.

Not compromising meant certain death; it was just a matter of dying sooner or later.

“I’ll give you time to reconsider; this is the second time I’ve said it,” I said, bending my eyes and smiling at Qiao Zhanpeng. My smile was gentle, yet my words made Qiao Zhanpeng break out in a cold sweat. “I won’t say it a third time. I hope you cherish this opportunity.”

I stood up, picked up the phone from the table, put it into my coat pocket, and said, “I’m going to the restroom.”

Duan Xingzhi instinctively stood up, intending to follow, but I shot him a glance, and he expressionlessly sat back down obediently, maintaining a proper posture.

“You stay here and keep Boss Qiao company; I’ll be back soon,” I said to Duan Xingzhi, then turned my head to look at Qiao Zhanpeng with a half-smile, “I hope Boss Qiao can think independently and carefully consider this, so as not to put us in a difficult position.”

Qiao Zhanpeng understood the insinuation in my words.

Think independently, don’t think about reporting this matter to Jiang Yunyi, or following Jiang Yunyi’s instructions.

Qiao Zhanpeng nodded repeatedly, “Okay, okay…”

I pushed open the office door and walked out. The act still needed to be played out fully, so I headed towards the restroom at the end of the third floor, intending to simply wash my hands.

Xiao 6 suddenly spoke up, “Host, the manga has been updated!”

Almost at the same moment it spoke, a boy ran up the stairs.

The boy was wearing a black wizard's robe, approximately fifteen years old, with a furrowed brow and an irritable expression. Faintly visible from his collar, there was a vertical row of strange blue text tattooed on the side of his neck.

It was Qiao Jing, Qiao Zhanpeng’s son. Judging by his expression, he must have encountered something.

As Qiao Jing stepped onto the third floor, a highly pungent, Chili smell rapidly spread and permeated the corridor. But he seemed to be in a bad mood and apparently had no intention of controlling it.

I started coughing, choked by the spicy smell.

When Qiao Jing saw me, he paused for a moment, then his irritability vanished, and he walked forward with a bright smile, saying, “Are you Brother Bai Xuechao? I’ve admired you for a long time.”

I couldn’t speak to him at all; every time I inhaled the spicy smell, I coughed.

“Brother, are you not feeling well?” Qiao Jing asked, walking up beside me with concern.

After approaching me, Qiao Jing smelled a faint, fresh plum blossom fragrance, accompanied by a frosty coolness.

This was my lure-pheromone scent, “Plum Blossom in Snow.”

Of course, this was just a more poetic name. I sometimes called it “Snow Water Plum Blossom Tea,” or “Plum Blossom Flavored Popsicle.”

I had specifically not taken an X8 pill today before going out, but I had deliberately reined in my scent, so the smell was relatively faint.

“I heard you were very ill and were hospitalized for a long time,” Qiao Jing said, staring at me and licking his lips. Between his lips, his sharpened canine teeth were faintly visible. He raised his hand, seemingly wanting to pat my back.

I pushed his hand back, coughing and struggling to say, “Take your cough cough cough… chili smell back.”

“My bad, my bad, I didn’t realize it was because of me,” Qiao Jing said, reining in some of his scent. The air was no longer as choking, and I slowly stopped coughing.

Qiao Jing smiled as he looked at me, and then swallowed.

His swallowing motion was quite noticeable up close. Xiao 6 even felt something was off: “What the heck is Qiao Jing doing? Why is he salivating at you? This quirk isn't in his character settings, is it? Is it a detail setting randomly filled in during system operation?”

I also noticed, and glanced at him.

Qiao Jing realized he had been discovered, but he still swallowed again, laughing with a seemingly apologetic look, “Sorry, Brother, I couldn’t help myself.”

His dark eyes stared at me, like two black holes, threatening to pull me in.

He said, “Because I really want to eat you.”

Xiao 6 screamed, “Oh my god, Host! He’s a pervert! He’s the kind of special ability user who eats people! Ahhh, how disgusting!”

Qiao Jing leaned even closer to me, looked at my expressionless face, and said with a grin, “How about Brother lets me have a bite? I really want to know what it’s like to eat you—”

Before he could finish speaking, his mouth and nose were suddenly enveloped by water that appeared out of nowhere.

Qiao Jing instinctively began to struggle, raising his hands to swat away the water that was blocking his breathing, but it was useless. Water incessantly poured into his nasal cavity and mouth. He gasped with his mouth wide open, attempting to breathe, and gurgling sounds came from his throat.

Just as Qiao Jing’s face was turning redder and redder, almost purple, and he was about to suffocate, all the water abruptly flowed onto the ground.

“I’m ill, not dead,” I said indifferently, walking past Qiao Jing, who was still coughing on the ground, and left him with one last statement, “Want to eat me? Are you worthy?”