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

Chapter 36

The bullet comments on that page were originally starting to lean towards Bai Xuechao being a true villain, but with a flip of the page, the black-haired boy controlled water to encapsulate the potion and flew it into the Witch's mouth, killing the Witch.

【See! I told you upright characters also have these kinds of settings!】

【He's actually a kind child at heart, otherwise, he could have just slacked off.】

【Hahahaha, I feel like the male lead almost got smacked to death by him.】

However, on the next page, Xia Xiaoxi felt a bit guilty because a tourist died, but Bai Xuechao said with a cold expression that the person "brought it upon themselves."

【Whoa, that filter feels so dark.】

【I think he's a villain again, spewing black mud.】

【Actually, what my hubby said wasn't wrong, it might just be due to his personality, so he said it.】

【I hope some big shot on the forum will analyze Bai Xuechao; I really don't understand him.】

The second floor was the Vampire's Cemetery, and they opened the Prop Blind Boxes.

When Zhou Chenhao pulled out the Star Magic Wand from the blind box, the bullet comments almost went crazy with laughter.

【Hahahaha, Magical Girl!】

【He even shouted "transform," hahahaha, I almost spat out my milk from laughing.】

【Everyone else's expressions were genuinely funny.】

【I want to see Axue and Ling Feng Maomao transform!】

【Me too, in front!】

Ling Feng found the instruction manuals, and after reading them, everyone decided to open all the Prop Blind Boxes, which resulted in them getting a wooden fish and an Urn.

【Isn't this a prank blind box? I'm laughing so hard I'm about to faint.】

【The ashes are fake, hahahaha!】

Readers discovered that the laughter wasn't over yet; the parts that followed were even funnier.

Zhou Chenhao wildly danced a duet with the Vampire, two tourists ran frantically with Urns, wailing and making funny faces. Zhou Chenhao twisted into a Yangko Dance with the Vampire, performing King Qin's Pillar Dance, Xia Xiaoxi knocked on a wooden fish, Zhou Chenhao ran while doing the Kunka Dance…

Xia Xiaoxi said, "Stop dancing, stop dancing, we're here!"

【Hahahahaha, how did the cover image come about!】

【I laughed so hard I smashed the wall, and my neighbor and I just stared at each other!!】

【I dub the male lead the "King of Dance"!】

【Ahhh, the young girl is so fond of Brother Hao; she even admitted that she only blamed him for not taking her to dance, haha. If it were me, I'd have just punched him.】

【Chenxi is real! (Shouts until voice breaks)】

The bullet comments for this section were all very cheerful, and the plot was all something Bai Xuechao had experienced, so he didn't look carefully and kept flipping through the pages.

He flipped to the part where they were about to leave the Mummy's floor, and two tourists spilled the ashes.

The comic showed the Mummy and the two tourists with equally confused expressions.

【Ash—es—! I'm tired of laughing!】

【I laughed so hard my mom knocked on the door and asked if I was going crazy.】

The Mummy lunged at the tourists, and at the critical moment, the black-haired boy, with his long, fair, jade-like hand, snapped his fingers. A rapid Water Column suddenly burst forth from the air, pushing everyone out from behind.

This panel of the comic used a perspective composition; at the very front were two tourists with exaggerated expressions as if they had studied at "Gintama," right behind them were Bai Xuechao and Xia Xiaoxi, further back was Zhou Chenhao twisting his body and wide-eyed while holding a magic wand, and at the very back was Ling Feng.

The Water Column pushed them out from behind everyone; each person was soaking wet, and the surrounding scene showed water about to rush off the screen.

【My hubby is awesome!】

【Axue is reliable; with water, he really charges forward. (Laughs)】

Current readers were like microscopes; someone quickly discovered a problem.

【??? The male lead was also pushed out by the water?】

【Holy cow! Holy cow! Is it a bug? Did Bai old scoundrel not notice?】

【I've never seen a simulated world screen with a bug before.】

【My hubby's special ability level definitely isn't level 4!!!】

【Brother Hao can currently nullify level 5 abilities, so my hubby must be at least level 6! Holy cow!】

【Was it accidentally exposed?】

【Emmm, looking at the protagonist group's reaction, they don't seem to have noticed.】

After the Magic Horror House, the tourists requested to join them, and they agreed. Bai Xuechao suggested going to the hot air balloon. The group briefly discussed the hot air balloon's location, decided to go check it out, and this chapter of the comic ended.

Bai Xuechao opened the Pink Forum as usual; this time, eight out of ten posts on the homepage had his name in the title, and one was already marked [HOT].

He clicked on the HOT post.

【Subject: Latest Chapter! Let's talk about Bai Xuechao, some of my summaries and analyses [HOT]】

OP: Ahhh, I feel like the focus of this chapter is Bai Xuechao! It feels like a lot of information about him was released!

1L: Sorry, I have no brain, I only saw the humor (.).

2L: I also think a lot of information was released!

3L: No wonder my hubby's special ability was listed as "Unknown" in the appendix of the chapter he debuted in; it turns out he has more than just water special ability!

4L: Really... I originally thought his water special ability might be a bit ordinary when I first saw it, but then I found out my hubby seems to have more than one special ability! Ahhh!

...

15L [OP]: This was Bai Xuechao's previous appendix [Appendix screenshot.jpg]

His appendix content was very sparse, only stating his name, age, special ability (written as unknown), and a brief introduction that he was born sickly, seemed to have stayed in the hospital for a long time, and was a handsome young man. (Speaking of which, it truly was officially recognized good looks; I almost fell for him, but I'm a firm Brother Hao fan!)

Let's discuss this in the order the information was released.

First, Bai Xuechao's background: We previously knew his sister went missing, and in this chapter, he personally said his home was in Y City.

Running from Y City to D City, and having been in the hospital just a few days ago, it's definitely no coincidence that he deliberately approached the protagonist group. He always said "it's fate," which Ling Feng understood as him believing they wouldn't meet again in the future. However, I think he was implying that they would meet again because of fate.

After this arc ends, they will definitely return to Y City and continue to encounter Bai Xuechao. Bai Xuechao won't be off-screen for a while; he's definitely an important supporting character.

I babbled a lot, but my main point is the next content: special abilities!

16L: Hahahaha, off-screen. I suspect you're implying the characters who appeared in the SAIDB training arc; after that arc, I never saw my favorite character's scenes again. (Wipes away tears)

17L: Sorry, I'm also going off-topic, but so many characters appeared in the training arc, when will they be released?! My Yu Muyang—!

18L: 17L, I suspect you like the Braised Pork flavor Lure-pheromone, not Yu Muyang. (Pushes glasses) To bring the topic back, I think this hints that Axue will also appear in the next arc. Although I don't know what the next arc will be, this one has already introduced two very important settings: Special ability energy crystal and Xia Xiaoxi's missing brother, Su Zhao. I think the main plotline will definitely revolve around Special ability energy crystal, and the side plot will be finding her brother.

19L: Speaking of plotlines, I'll also add that this comic, from beginning to now, still doesn't have a very clear main plotline. Before the Marine amusement park arc, a lot of it was just the protagonist group's daily life, the training arc was training routines, and the maritime trading mission after that also had a lot of daily interactions among the protagonist group. But if you insist on saying the main plot is the male lead's power-up progression, I guess that works?

20L: Didn't someone analyze that catching the maritime trading special ability user was related to the main plot, possibly as foreshadowing, but so far, we haven't seen anything...

21L: Hurry up with the main plot! Someone in the neighboring comic even mocked "Special Ability × Food Chain" for being a character-driven comic with no main plot. (Permit sadness)

22L: ??? What, someone still says that? Then you retort! Even if we are character-driven, we're more popular than the one they like! (Angry) (Smashes cup)

...

32L [OP]: Bai Xuechao's special ability! More than one! In this chapter, everyone must have noticed fireballs appearing behind him; he definitely has a Fire special ability as well. [Comic screenshot.jpg] Confirmed, Bai Xuechao is a dual special ability user, but he concealed it.

Why did he conceal it? This is worth pondering.

Later, when they exited the Magic Horror House [Screenshot of everyone being flushed out by water.jpg], although Bai old scoundrel used a perspective composition which seemed not to draw much attention, I circled Brother Hao, and you can clearly see that even though Ling Feng was blocking him, the water touched Brother Hao! This was water created by a special ability, and when it touched Brother Hao, it didn't disappear! What does this mean!!

This indicates that Bai Xuechao is definitely not the level 4 special ability user he claimed to be. If he can avoid being nullified by Brother Hao, he should be at least level 6, he lied!!

Unfortunately, the situation seemed very urgent at the time, and the protagonist group didn't notice this OTL.

33L: Now I really think Bai Xuechao might be a villain, concealing his special ability and level to approach the protagonist group.

34L: I have a different opinion from the above floor. My hubby is clearly just a fun-loving person disguised to infiltrate the protagonist group. What's wrong with him concealing some special abilities? He's a dual special ability user; does he have to immediately announce that he has dual special abilities? Wouldn't that expose his unique traits? He can't possibly have no guard against others, right?

35L: First, let me say I'm not a Xue fan, but I agree with 34L. He must have investigated the protagonist group beforehand; they're all level 3. He, a level 6 (approximately) special ability user, is already alarming enough. If he also said he had dual special abilities, how could the protagonist group accept him so quickly? If he wanted to approach the protagonist group for fun, then concealing some facts and lying is natural. Besides, hasn't he been helping the protagonist group all along =.=

36L: Me too! (Zhang Fei clasping fists)

37L: No, even though I really like my hubby, he truly has a strong villainous vibe! (Scratching head)

...

49L [OP]: Finally, let's talk about Bai Xuechao's stance. This question has been discussed ever since he first appeared. In the previous chapter, everyone argued for a whole day because of his attitude towards his sister; everyone had a point. (Covers face) I won't say which side I'm on first; let's discuss the information released in this chapter!

First, whether Bai Xuechao is good or evil, he has definitely seen dead people, quite a few of them, and might even be accustomed to it... He shouldn't be naturally emotionless, because he still feels bored, so his reactions are very intriguing.

When they first entered the Witch's Wooden House, everyone's expressions upon seeing the Corpse [Screenshot.jpg] showed the tourists' faces turning ashen with fright, Xiaoxi covered her mouth, and Brother Hao also frowned. Ling Feng glanced at Bai Xuechao at that moment.

Everyone looked at Bai Xuechao's expression and movements; he had a calm face at the time (no one should say he didn't, right?), and his hands were still on his waist. That posture looked quite relaxed, not at all like someone seeing a dead person for the first time.

Including later, when that tourist recklessly brought about his own death, Bai Xuechao's expression, if I may be blunt, was like looking at trash (not really), but in short, it was very cold. Although that tourist was indeed annoying, Brother Hao still took the lead to confront the Witch and in turn force-fed her the potion. I felt that the protagonist group was all angry about that tourist's death, and in contrast, the expressionless Bai Xuechao seemed even more off.

50L: After all, he's an Underground special ability user.

51L: Being an Underground special ability user doesn't mean you can get used to seeing dead people.

52L: Aren't these all just the OP's guesses? What if he just has good mental fortitude?

53L: But he also helped the protagonist group later; without him, the protagonist group might not have been able to overcome the Witch. It was all thanks to him that the potion was delivered.

54L: For those who think he's a villain, he'll look like a villain no matter what.

55L: He's at least level 6, so he must have hunted special ability creatures before. It's not impossible for him to be accustomed to bloodshed.

56L: Above floor, I think seeing animal corpses and seeing human corpses are still different. How can a person have no reaction to a human Corpse? He must be used to seeing them.

...

70L [OP]: Next, let's talk about his thinking and worldview (?). In this chapter, he expressed two viewpoints: one was "Even with good soundproofing, you should still hear cries for help," and the other was "brought it upon themselves," both revealing his perspective.

He even initiated the first topic, saying that the staff members heard strange sounds. The protagonist group didn't think much of it, but he not only thought about it but also said it out loud. I feel his thinking is quite dark. However, I carefully looked at the scene in that section; the Corpse's fingernail cracks seemed to have something in them, truly looking like she had struggled. What Bai Xuechao said might very well be true, but in such a tense situation, saying that was meaningless, only serving to scare people.

71L: It's clear the OP is a Brother Hao fan; they really like sunny characters and aren't keen on characters like Bai Xuechao.

72L: (Pulls at hair) (A bit helpless) I feel like you won't really understand even if I explain. It's not meaningless. Isn't it possible my hubby deliberately said it to scare people? And he can also state the truth, and everyone is free to believe it or not. Isn't that great?

73L: I also think Axue said that deliberately; the male lead's eyes widened, and the three tourists also looked very scared.

74L: He's just a fun-loving person, deliberately trying to scare everyone a bit.

75L: Actually, from his debut style, you can probably tell what kind of character he is, right? I think he might be the type whose thinking is a bit sickly, somewhat dangerous, maybe even a little crazy. He's seen many similar incidents of "abandoning partners" and "pretending to be innocent," experiencing "the evil of human nature," so when he noticed the details, he guessed it and said it out loud to scare everyone. But after seeing that everyone was scared, didn't he also say, "It's just a guess of mine"? I think that counts as reassurance; it's a bit gentle.

76L: Above floor, your filter is really thick; you're a Xue fan, aren't you!

77L: Setting aside 75L's filter, what else was said still makes sense. His personality is just like that; you can't determine he's an antagonist just based on this personality, can you?

...

98L [OP]: Second, the "brought it upon themselves" part. His expression was that cold type again, and the filter added there was also very dark, as if his entire face was submerged in shadow, very "black mud." Bai old scoundrel wouldn't just casually add such a dark filter, surely it's implying something.

[Comic screenshot.jpg] After he finished saying "brought it upon themselves," Ling Feng looked at him again, and he even smiled and asked Ling Feng, "Was I wrong?"

He, surprisingly, smiled there.

Does no one really think he's evil???

So I maintain that his stance is that of a villain.

As for his attitude towards his sister, I believe he truly is looking for her, and he's even going crazy from searching for her; that's how he fits my impression of him. I feel he's the type who grew up depending on his elder brother and sister, and the three of them had a very hard life. According to what Ling Feng said before, he has an X8, so he must have been to an underground exchange, and it's highly likely he lived by making money through underground transactions. Wouldn't that make him dark? After his sister disappeared, he lost a loved one, so it's quite possible he continued to "blacken."

I also agree with your mention of him seeking fun, so his approach to the protagonist group is a combination of looking for his sister and finding amusement due to boredom. Maybe his identity will be exposed later; perhaps the protagonist group will have a mission to the underground exchange, and he'll be a small boss there!

99L: I actually find the OP a bit cute now; you really don't get the charm of these kinds of characters at all. (Laughing and crying emoji) (No ill will)

100L: According to your feelings, OP, shouldn't he be a pitiful character? How is he a villain? (Laughing and crying emoji +1)

101L: Thank you, OP, for the summary and analysis. After reading it, I feel he's even less like a villain and more like a pitiful character desperately needing the protagonist group's love and enlightenment. His personality is indeed a bit dark, but that doesn't mean his stance is villainous, does it? You've equated the two.

102L: Pitiful character +1.

103L: I feel like the OP reads fewer comics or is a bit biased. In shonen manga, these types of characters are not uncommon. They appear a bit dark and villainous at first, but then their backstory is revealed, showing they had some trauma or a tragic past. Afterward, they are enlightened by the protagonist group and become good companions. If the protagonist group encounters any trouble in the future, he will definitely be the first to rush out and help them, but he won't admit he's worried about them, like a tsundere kitten~

104L: Hehehehehe hahahaha, kekeke, pitiful and cute Axue Maomao~ Let mommy kiss you, hehehehehehehehehehehehe mwah mwah mwah mwah mwah—

105L: What the heck, drag the person on the floor above out!

Bai Xuechao's gaze lingered on 104L for a few seconds; he then expressionlessly scrolled down, pretending he hadn't seen it.

He was almost used to the "enthusiasm" of readers from the high-dimensional world comic.

In the later floors of that post, most people supported his stance as an upright character; only a few scattered individuals and the OP thought he would definitely turn evil and become a villain.

Bai Xuechao: "..."

Right, but not entirely.

He was indeed a villain, but not due to turning evil.

Bai Xuechao exited the post and discovered two more HOT posts had appeared on the homepage.

【Ahhh! Bai old scoundrel just said on Weibo that the comic will have an extra update tonight! [HOT]】

【Folks, quickly come see the fan art I drew! Fresh out of the oven! Axue's Magical Girl transformation!! [HOT]】

Bai Xuechao stared at the second post and slowly typed out a question mark.

...What?

Xiao 6 let out its first burst of laughter for the day: "Hahahahaha!"

After Bai Xuechao's expression went blank for a second, he slowly smiled and said, "This Axue, it's not me, is it?"

"Hahahaha, who else could it be? There's no other Axue among the comic characters serialized concurrently!" Xiao 6 laughed so hard Bai Xuechao felt his head buzzing. It said, "Good news: you have readers producing fanworks for you; bad news: the first fan art is of you in a girl's outfit, hahaha!"

After Xiao 6 finished laughing, it excitedly urged Bai Xuechao again, "Host, hurry and go take a look!"

Bai Xuechao was uncharacteristically childish: "I won't."

Xiao 6 pleaded, "Just open it and look! This is the readers' love for you! It's really not easy to draw fan art less than an hour after the comic updated and for it to become a HOT post!"

Bai Xuechao was silent for a moment, but still opened it.

The OP claimed it was a "30-minute speed doodle," so the drawing, compared to the original comic's art style, was naturally a bit rough. After all, the time was short, and there was no fine-tuning, but it was still well-drawn, otherwise, it wouldn't have become a HOT post so quickly.

The black-haired boy (girl?) in the picture wore a bonnet hat with layers of lace and red bow decorations. He was dressed in a gorgeous red-and-white colored dress, with a hemline that was short in the front and long in the back, reaching only to mid-thigh. Below the skirt were legs clad in white thigh-high stockings, with a red ribbon tied around one thigh. On his feet were red leather shoes.

The black-haired boy held the Star Magic Wand that had appeared in the comic. His red, glass-like eyes held tiny specks of gold, as if scattered with starlight, and a faint smile graced his face.

1L: I'm licking! I'm licking, licking, licking! My hubby is so beautiful!

2L: Wuwu, OP, you are my Kami! To draw this well in 30 minutes, your light screen must have been sparking!!

3L: (Going crazy) (Howling) My hubby is so beautiful! OP is amazing! (Twisted) (Crawling in the dark) (Delirious)

4L: So beautiful! Thank you, OP, for the fanworks, wuwu! My absolutely beautiful hubby makes me super excited!

The following floors were extremely wild, with dirty talk flying everywhere.

Bai Xuechao: "."

To be honest, he also thought it was well-drawn, provided that Magical Girl wasn't him.

Bai Xuechao exited the post, took a deep breath, and couldn't help but murmur, "I haven't worn a girl's outfit since I was 10, and I didn't expect to see this kind of drawing even now."

"What, what?" Xiao 6's tone was excited and thrilled. "Host, did you wear girl's outfits all the time before you were 10?!"

Bai Xuechao: "..."

It seemed he had accidentally revealed something significant.

He felt he needed to clarify this, otherwise, Xiao 6 would imagine who knows what.

"Not 'all the time,' but occasionally." Bai Xuechao explained, "When I was little, Sister Jing Chun was looking after me. She loved to dress me up and had me wear girl's outfits a few times, but she stopped after I turned 10."

He was young at that time, so he didn't mind.

Moreover, he knew that Liu Jingchun didn't dress him in girl's outfits out of any malicious pleasure. Dressing him up was one reason; another was to seek emotional solace.

He was brought into the organization by Jiang Yunyi when he was six, and the Old leader assigned him to Liu Jingchun.

The year before he joined the organization, Liu Jingchun's biological younger sister died.

But Liu Jingchun didn't treat him as a substitute for her sister. He and Liu Jingchun's sister, Liu Zhixia, were many years apart in age and looked completely different. Liu Jingchun never looked at anyone through him or showed a nostalgic expression; she simply raised him as a younger sister... uh, a younger brother.

Perhaps because Liu Jingchun had lost her sister, and his face when he was little resembled a young girl's, combined with her habit of taking care of her sister, Liu Jingchun did indeed raise him as a younger sister at first. She would prepare many beautiful clothes for him—though mostly neutral children's wear—and clip his bangs with cute hairpins and such...

His long hair from before started growing then.

However, after he turned 10, Liu Jingchun sighed regretfully to him and said, "Sigh, you've grown up. I can't dress you up like that anymore."

Thinking about it that way, it seems like her liking to dress him up was still the bigger reason?

Xiao 6 showed starry eyes: "Are there any photos? I want to see them!"

"There are," Bai Xuechao said with a beaming smile. "Want to see them? Dream on."