The Downtrodden Villain In A Redemption Romance Novel Chapter 2

“How much? Ten million!”

Xu Wen abruptly raised his head, the despair and confusion in his eyes rapidly dissipating, replaced by shock and calculation.

“Is the currency system in this world the same as in Z Nation?” he quickly pressed, his tone becoming unusually calm.

[Yes, Host.] The mechanical voice replied.

Ten million… to save one person…

Xu Wen instantly sorted out his thoughts. Since he was already irrevocably dead in his original world and couldn’t go back, having already died once, he might as well take a gamble—a bicycle could turn into a motorcycle! If he completed the mission, he would achieve financial freedom immediately, saving fifty years of struggle. If he failed, at least he would have lived a few extra years. No loss!

“System, tell me the details of the mission,” Xu Wen took a deep breath, his eyes reigniting with fighting spirit—a light dedicated to the ten million reward and a brand new life.

[Transmitting basic information for the mission world…]

[The CEO’s Contracted Sweetheart: Mommy Runs Away with the Baby is an early-era, emotionally twisted, melodramatic novel with broken logic. Its core plot can be summarized as: The Overbearing CEO forcefully takes what he wants out of hatred, the Ingenue Female Lead runs away with the baby, returns years later with a genius adorable child, initiating the Wife-Chasing Crematorium, and ultimately achieving a superficial, forced Happy Ending.]

As the System summarized, a vague memory suddenly struck Xu Wen.

He remembered!

This novel! It was ranked number one on a certain tomato novel platform. He had read it intermittently during his subway commute to kill time. At the time, he thought the plot was ridiculously cliché and all the characters were intellectually stunted, making his toes curl in secondhand embarrassment, yet he was inexplicably hooked.

“Wait!” Xu Wen exclaimed, “Lu Qingrang? Is that the unlucky guy who loved the female lead but couldn’t have her, was eventually bankrupted by the male lead Nan Gongchen, and met a miserable end?!”

[Correct. In the original novel, Lu Qingrang, due to repeatedly defending the female lead, suffered brutal business attacks from the male lead Nan Gongchen, ultimately leading to the bankruptcy of the company he had struggled for years to build. As the male and female leads’ wedding began, he received a heartless phone call from the female lead, his belief completely collapsed, and he committed suicide by burning charcoal in his rented room.]

Xu Wen felt a pang of sadness. He remembered complaining when he read the novel that Lu Qingrang, the Pawn, was truly miserable.

Although the novel didn’t detail his childhood, it clearly mentioned that a single, accidental act of help from the female lead in his youth became the only White Moonlight illuminating his dark life. From then on, he was unconditionally good to her.

And the female lead? While she took his protection and deep affection for granted, she didn’t hesitate to push him into the abyss at the crucial moment.

He never expected that this word “miserable” would now directly relate to his ten million reward and his very life!

“So, what role am I playing in this story now?” Xu Wen looked down at his delivery uniform. He couldn’t recall a character like this in the book.

[Host, you are an Intern in the CEO’s office before the villain Lu Qingrang’s company went bankrupt. After the company dissolved, all staff were dismissed. The original owner of this identity, unable to find a formal job, temporarily worked as a delivery driver. Due to the inability to withstand high-intensity physical labor, the original owner died of overwork three hours ago. Therefore, the System matched you with this identity.]

“What?!” Xu Wen nearly jumped up, his voice changing pitch. “System, are you messing with me?! The story is already at the grand finale? And you bring me over now?!”

He had originally hoped to rely on his foreknowledge advantage to slowly plan and build up favorability during the middle of the plot. Who would have thought the starting point would be Hell difficulty? The villain was already bankrupt, Deserted by All, utterly disheartened, and might even be on the path to suicide!

This redemption mission was like snatching a soul from a crematorium!

[Warning! Target Lu Qingrang’s emotional value is rapidly plummeting. Despair Index has broken the Threshold! Critical plot point triggered: He is currently in his rented room, answering a call from the female lead Su Xia…]

The System’s cold alert suddenly amplified.

[Emergency Mission Issued: Immediately prevent the target’s suicide! Location coordinates transmitted! Countdown: 10 minutes!]

“Holy crap!!!”

All of Xu Wen’s complaints about the difficulty and his plans instantly shattered, leaving only the words “ten minutes” and “suicide” flashing frantically in his mind.

He sprang up from the floor like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Ignoring the weakness of this body, he frantically grabbed the electric scooter key from the table and rushed toward the glaring red dot location flashing on the map in his mind.

Meanwhile, in a cheap rented room in an Urban Village.

The room was pitch black, the curtains tightly drawn. Only a few slivers of sunlight leaked through the edges, casting vague patches of light on the dusty floor of the rental unit.

Lu Qingrang sat curled up on the ground, leaning against the cold, rough wall. The phone screen flickered with a faint light, illuminating his overly pale and gaunt face.

He mechanically redialed the number he knew by heart, over and over.

But deep inside, a faint voice pleaded: Xiaxia, answer the phone… just once.

In truth, he didn’t even know what he would say if Su Xia answered. Today was her wedding to that man; he had lost completely. Yet, he clung to it like a final lifeline, his mind repeatedly flashing back to that rainy night in his childhood, the girl’s back shielding him, and her firm words: “Don’t be afraid, Qingrang, I will always protect you!”

The “beep… beep…” sound abruptly stopped. The phone vibrated. The call was connected!

“Xiaxia…”

“Lu Qingrang!” A deliberately lowered female voice, laced with impatience and anger, sharply cut him off.

Faintly, the sounds of distant laughter and the wedding march could be heard through the receiver. “Do you have to harass me when I’m marrying Brother Chen?! Do you have any idea how much loss you caused Brother Chen’s company! How do you still have the nerve to call me?”

Lu Qingrang’s lips moved, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately, not a single word came out.

Su Xia’s hysterical voice was tearful, yet every word was like a knife: “We could have been like siblings! But what did you do? I hate you now! Please, never appear in my life again! I hate you!”

Her words carried a desperate, reckless cruelty. “I shouldn’t have been nosy and saved you back then! How great would it have been if you had just died in that river! Brother Chen and I wouldn’t have missed out on so many years because of you!”

“….!”

The phone was violently hung up. The busy signal, like a sharp Tinnitus, continuously tore at Lu Qingrang’s nerves.

Hate him.

Die in… that river?

It turned out that what he viewed as the beginning of his salvation was, in her eyes, the source of all misfortune.

The only sliver of light he had grasped in his dark life, the person for whom he had given everything, poured out his entire being, and even ruined his whole life to protect, had finally denied the meaning of his existence with her own mouth.

The last strength supporting him seemed to be completely drained away with the busy signal. Lu Qingrang slowly lowered his arm. The phone slipped from his completely exhausted palm, and the screen light abruptly went dark.

His entire world plunged into darkness and deathly silence.

Lu Qingrang remained in his curled-up position, motionless, like a statue gradually losing its warmth. After a long time, he moved with extreme slowness, dragging a body that felt impossibly heavy, toward the center of the room.

There, a brown metal charcoal brazier was already prepared, with several bags of opened charcoal scattered beside it.

Lu Qingrang picked up the cheap plastic lighter nearby.

“Click—”

A weak flame flickered in the gloom, reflecting in Lu Qingrang’s hollow pupils, showing no sign of life.

He stared at the flame, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved into an almost gentle arc.

Let it be this way…

He curled up and lay down beside the charcoal brazier.