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

Chapter 29

Soon after, the room service arrived, and Bai Xuechao and Duan Xingzhi ate together in the suite's dining room.

The hotel's kitchen chef was very skilled; the corn pancakes were fried crispy and golden, looking appetizing. When eaten, they were fragrant and sweet.

Bai Xuechao ate three pieces and couldn't eat anymore; Duan Xingzhi finished all the remaining ones on the plate.

Duan Xingzhi was quite a big eater; he had always been like that since childhood. Perhaps his height meant he consumed a lot. Bai Xuechao finished his meal and even walked around for a bit before returning to see that Duan Xingzhi had just finished eating. He alone had eaten two steamed buns, three plates of dishes, and the corn pancakes Bai Xuechao had left for him.

Xiao 6, following Bai Xuechao, was seeing Duan Xingzhi eat for the second time and was still somewhat shocked. It couldn't help but murmur, "Bai Guzi's setting for Duan Xingzhi didn't include a large appetite; it's a randomly generated attribute during System operation. Eating so much, how many mutated species must he eat in one meal?"

"I haven't counted," Bai Xuechao replied. In any case, their organization could afford it.

After eating, Duan Xingzhi went back to his bedroom and brought out a white object, which he handed to Bai Xuechao. Bai Xuechao took the item Duan Xingzhi handed him; it was several pieces of paper that had been forcefully folded multiple times, compressed into about half the size of a palm.

It was truly a miracle of strength. He unfolded the paper and found it was the document of Jiang Yunyi and Qiao Zhanpeng's private cooperation. Duan Xingzhi had sent him photos before, but this was the original.

If there were no surprises, the Marine amusement park had been sealed off, and Qiao Zhanpeng and Qiao Jing were both dead. The value of this document was already very low.

Seeing Bai Xuechao silently looking at the document, Duan Xingzhi lowered his head and said, "I folded it up and put it in my pocket." His actions and tone suggested he was admitting a mistake, perhaps thinking that Bai Xuechao's silence was because he had folded the document in that manner.

"Yes, I can tell." Bai Xuechao brushed off the creased paper. "It's fine." Duan Xingzhi's voice was slightly low: "That's good."

Bai Xuechao pressed down the creases on the paper and casually asked, "When are we leaving? Do you want to take a nap?" He had already acquired the Special ability energy crystal. The Old leader would surely be eager for him to return.

Duan Xingzhi, however, said, "Aren't you going to rest for a bit?"

"Why would I rest? I'm already fine." Bai Xuechao looked up at Duan Xingzhi.

Duan Xingzhi said, "Whatever you want."

Bai Xuechao: "..." Here we go again, "whatever you want."

Bai Xuechao directly made the decision for Duan Xingzhi, stood up, and pulled him towards the bedroom, leading him to the bedside, and gently pushed him. Duan Xingzhi sat on the bed, following Bai Xuechao's force, a bewildered expression on his face.

"Sleep." Bai Xuechao gently pushed him down, pulled the newly delivered comforter over him, and glanced at the European vintage alarm clock on the bedside table.

"Sleep for five hours. We'll leave in the afternoon." Duan Xingzhi blinked his icy blue eyes and replied, "Okay."

Bai Xuechao covered Duan Xingzhi's eyes with his palm, lightly touching his dense eyelashes, and commanded, "Close your eyes." Xiao 6 began humming, scattering tiny red hearts across the screen. It didn't explicitly say "shipping," but it was as if it already had.

Feeling the eyes beneath his palm close, Bai Xuechao removed his hand, drew the bedroom curtains for Duan Xingzhi, and then returned to his own bedroom with the document. As he entered the room, he saw that the phone on the bedside table had just turned off.

Bai Xuechao walked over, picked up the phone, and turned on the screen, seeing 3 missed calls on the lock screen. He had silenced his phone before entering the horror house yesterday and hadn't changed it back. He could guess that these calls were probably from Jiang Yunyi. Sure enough, almost as soon as he thought of it, Jiang Yunyi's call came through again.

Bai Xuechao answered the phone: "Hello."

"You finally decided to answer." Jiang Yunyi's gentle voice came through the phone receiver.

"I didn't intentionally not answer." Bai Xuechao walked over to the single sofa and sat down, saying in a flat tone, "My phone was on silent; I didn't hear it."

Jiang Yunyi said, "So that's how it was, I misunderstood you."

Bai Xuechao didn't want to chat idly with him and cut straight to the point: "What's up?"

"You made Kunpeng Park look like that and still ask me what's up." Jiang Yunyi chuckled softly, his gentle voice seeming to contain helplessness. "When did you become such a little villain?"

Bai Xuechao's face was expressionless; he felt goosebumps all over. He said, "I was just asking Qiao Zhanpeng for the Special ability energy crystal. I didn't intentionally destroy the park. Qiao Zhanpeng didn't give it to me, nor did I coerce him."

Hm, no coercion, just guiding Qiao Zhanpeng to use the Special ability energy crystal on Qiao Jing. He didn't lie to Jiang Yunyi, what he said was all true.

Jiang Yunyi "oh?"-ed.

Bai Xuechao continued, "Qiao Zhanpeng died because Qiao Jing went crazy and ate the Special ability energy crystal, developed unknown side effects, became mentally unstable, and ate Qiao Zhanpeng."

Jiang Yunyi said, "Is that so?" He sounded like he didn't quite believe it.

"Duan Xingzhi saw it, but he found Qiao Zhanpeng a bit late; it was already mostly eaten."

This time, Bai Xuechao was lying, mixing truth and falsehood, letting Jiang Yunyi figure it out. "As for Qiao Jing, he got into a fight with the octopus you had Qiao Zhanpeng raise. It looked like he wanted to eat the octopus, but then SAIDB gained from their dispute. All I could do was retrieve the Special ability energy crystal and silence Qiao Jing under SAIDB's encirclement."

Xiao 6: Your "encirclement" means watching from afar as you took the Special ability energy crystal, right?

"It seems you know everything," Jiang Yunyi said.

Bai Xuechao deliberately shook the document, making the paper rustle, and slowly said, "Not much."

"Heh." Jiang Yunyi chuckled. He had already guessed the source of the rustling sound from the phone. He said gently, "If having that document makes you happy, then keep it." Upon hearing this, Bai Xuechao's brow furrowed slightly. Tsk, he knew it would be like that. If Qiao Zhanpeng hadn't died, Jiang Yunyi wouldn't have reacted that way.

Jiang Yunyi suddenly asked, "What about Qiao Jing's special ability?"

Bai Xuechao knew what he was asking. He leaned back, resting his head on the sofa backrest. "I took it."

"How's your body?" Jiang Yunyi asked, seemingly concerned that the side effects of his Devourment ability would affect his increasingly fragile body, so he asked out of concern.

Jiang Yunyi didn't know that Bai Xuechao's current physical condition was what it was eight months ago.

Bai Xuechao knew he would ask that and replied indifferently, "It's perfectly fine."

Jiang Yunyi said, "Rest today, and come back tomorrow."

"None of your business. I'll be back this afternoon." Bai Xuechao took his phone away, glanced at the call duration, and then put it back to his ear, saying, "If you have nothing else, I'm hanging up."

"You don't have a park," Jiang Yunyi said before he hung up.

Bai Xuechao said, "Oh, and so?" Originally, he thought, wouldn't a park be easy to find? Just buy a suitable one. But since Jiang Yunyi spoke, he definitely had a more suitable method to tell him.

"I know a special ability user whose special ability is a game city—including the buildings."

Jiang Yunyi smiled. "That counts as a type of park, right?" A very bold idea. Jiang Yunyi wanted him to use a special ability to obtain a special ability. If he didn't have a park, then he could snatch one, and it would even be a special ability, so he could carry it with him.

Bai Xuechao was somewhat interested, but he wasn't someone who just casually took others' special abilities. One of the prerequisites for him to take a special ability was to kill the opponent, so he still needed to see who the opponent was.

If the opponent was also from an illegal organization like him, and a scumbag, then he could proceed. But he didn't ask Jiang Yunyi who that special ability user was; it was as if he felt that once he asked, the initiative would again be with Jiang Yunyi.

Jiang Yunyi seemed to know Bai Xuechao's thoughts on the other end of the phone and said directly, "I'll wait for you to come back to me, and I'll tell you."

"Got it." Bai Xuechao said, and then hung up the phone directly.

After hanging up, Bai Xuechao poked Xiao 6 in his mind: "Xiao 6, can you check? Who is that game city special ability user?" Didn't he still have Xiao 6, that System? Although Xiao 6 usually acted like a useless lucky charm, it occasionally had its uses.

Xiao 6 was stunned for a moment. After realizing, it exclaimed, "Oh right, I can check!" It immediately searched the database for special ability users related to "game city." After seeing the search results, it couldn't help but sing, "Fate~ is truly wonderful~"

Bai Xuechao knew Xiao 6 had found it. He relaxed, leaning against the sofa, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Hehehe." Xiao 6 said, "It's the next plot-related special ability user for the male lead!"

Bai Xuechao raised an eyebrow. That was quite a coincidence. Perfect, he could also "arrange" the male lead a bit, to make sure the male lead followed the plot smoothly and didn't go off-script. He asked, "When is the plot?"

Xiao 6 said, "In a week."

"Then there's no hurry." Bai Xuechao closed his eyes. "I'll take a day off first, and rest for a bit."

Xiao 6 nodded rapidly like a chicken pecking rice: "Mm-hmm, no hurry!"

As soon as it finished speaking, it saw Bai Xuechao's phone screen show an incoming call again. However, because the phone was still on silent, Bai Xuechao, with his eyes closed, didn't know.

"Host, you have a call." Xiao 6 said, "Caller ID is Jing Chun-jie."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuechao immediately opened his eyes and answered the phone. His tone was noticeably much better than when he had spoken to Jiang Yunyi earlier; his voice was like snowmelt after spring: "Jing Chun-jie."

Xiao 6: Iih, the Host's voice seems to have become all sweet and delicate.

"How are you feeling now?" Liu Jingchun's voice was that gentle kind of an adult woman, like a warm spring breeze. Her tone now carried worry and apology. "I'm sorry, I've been busy these past few days, and I just found out that you... a few days ago."

Bai Xuechao interrupted her, "Sister, don't worry, it's all in the past. I'm fine now."

Liu Jingchun had been abroad for the past six months, and coupled with being busy these past few days, she had been a bit behind on domestic news. She and Bai Xuechao didn't contact each other every day, so she missed the news that Bai Xuechao had been rescued a few days ago. But as soon as she found out, she immediately called Bai Xuechao to check on his current situation.

She asked, "You just had surgery, have you been resting well these past few days?"

"Yes, I have." Bai Xuechao suddenly felt a little guilty; he had been quite active these past few days, even crossing cities. "Don't worry."

Liu Jingchun on the other end of the phone seemed to let out a sigh of relief. Just as Bai Xuechao relaxed, he heard Liu Jingchun say, "Give the phone to Xiao Mei. I'll ask her."

Xiao Mei was the nurse the organization had arranged to care for Bai Xuechao in the hospital. Although she was Jiang Yunyi's person, it didn't prevent Liu Jingchun from asking her about Bai Xuechao's condition.

Bai Xuechao felt like he had been caught red-handed during an inspection. He said without changing his expression, "Xiao Mei doesn't seem to be here. I'll have her call you back later."

"Are you lying?" Liu Jingchun asked.

"...Yes." Bai Xuechao quickly admitted his mistake. "I was wrong, Sister."

Liu Jingchun pressed on, "Where are you now?"

Bai Xuechao whispered, "D City."

"You even left Y City?" Liu Jingchun's voice suddenly rose. She took a deep breath. "When are you coming back?"

Bai Xuechao obediently replied, "This afternoon."

"Alright, alright..." Liu Jingchun said. "Wait until I get back, and I'll deal with you."

Bai Xuechao's attention, however, was on Liu Jingchun's "back," and he asked, somewhat surprised, "Are you coming back soon?"

"Yes, things are wrapping up these past few days; it won't be long now." A hint of fatigue subtly permeated Liu Jingchun's voice. "I'll probably be back in about a week."

"I'll wait for you to come back," Bai Xuechao said with a smile in his slightly curved eyes, adding, "You should also get some good rest."

"You still dare to talk about rest?!" Liu Jingchun was about to give Bai Xuechao a good scolding when someone suddenly came to her, saying there was an urgent matter she needed to handle. Bai Xuechao heard the voice from the other side of the phone and took the initiative, "Sister, you go get busy."

"Okay, then I'll hang up first." Liu Jingchun quickly reminded him before hanging up, "If you feel bored in the hospital, call Duan Xingzhi to go out with you, but don't leave the city these next few days. It's only been a few days since your surgery; aren't you uncomfortable with long-distance travel? You should at least get two weeks of good rest, right?"

This was the difference between her and Jiang Yunyi. She wouldn't restrict Bai Xuechao's freedom or force him to stay in the hospital, and she was genuinely concerned about Bai Xuechao.

Bai Xuechao repeatedly agreed: "Mm-hmm, got it."

Liu Jingchun hung up the phone.

Xiao 6 asked, "Host, what would happen if you didn't listen to Liu Jingchun and left Y City again?"

"Nothing much would happen. She'd probably just scold me a bit when she gets back, as long as I'm okay. Actually, she's just afraid I'll have a relapse somewhere unfamiliar and won't be able to get timely treatment." Bai Xuechao propped his chin with one hand, guessing something. "What, the next plot event isn't in Y City again?" Xiao 6 cyber-sweat-dropped: "Yes, and it's in A Port."

Bai Xuechao nearly choked: "That far?" A Port was very far south, separated from Y City by half of Xia Calendar.

Xiao 6 wiped its code-sweat: "Yes."

"Then there's nothing I can do," Bai Xuechao sighed softly, his tone a bit melancholic. "I'll buy her some souvenirs, hoping she'll scold me a little less."

Xiao 6: "..." You're a little devil, completely impervious to reasoning. But that's how the male lead completes the plot. Xiao 6 patted its non-existent chest and promised that it would definitely help the Host choose souvenirs then!

Bai Xuechao sat on the sofa and played on his phone for a while. He had expected Xia Xiaoxi to message him asking where he was after he disappeared from the tourists yesterday, but there was nothing.

He propped his chin, thinking that perhaps the protagonist group had already finished their review and discovered the suspicious aspects of his special ability level, so they were temporarily avoiding contact with him.

If the manga would update, he could check the protagonist group's movements through the manga. Bai Xuechao asked, "When does the manga update?"

"Bai Guzi's update schedule has always been unstable; I don't know," Xiao 6 said, and just as it finished, it received a manga update notification. "Hey, it updated!" Xiao 6 immediately projected the new manga chapter in front of Bai Xuechao.