The villain turns into the infatuated second male lead

Since entering the mid-summer season in August, Ning Chuan City had been unbearably hot day and night. However, tonight was unusually clear and breezy.

The deep blue night sky was free of clouds, dotted with stars, with a cool breeze gently blowing.
The cold moonlight fell on the city’s lush vegetation, casting a patchwork of light and shadow on the tree-lined paths.

Listening to the urgent ringtone of his phone, Yin Zhiyi hummed a tune and slowly parked his car in a designated parking space in the city. He then slid his finger across the screen and answered the long-awaited call.

After a brief silence, a hoarse voice came through.
“Mr. Yin, the task you assigned has been completed.” The person on the other end was slightly out of breath, as if they had been through a chase or fight.

After a pause, he seemed to remember something: “His leg is seriously injured, and he can’t move. What do you want me to do with him? Should I bring him to you?”
Yin Zhiyi rubbed the mole at the end of his eyebrow, glanced casually at the Qiu family photo on the car seat, and smiled slightly, “No need, just deal with him.”

In the dim and secluded factory, the cheerful voice on the other end of the phone was clear to both men. The burly man holding a gun tightened his grip and looked down at the handsome young man who had no ability to resist.

The young man gritted his teeth, his eyes full of undisguised hatred, like a beast lurking in the dark.
“Mr. Yin… I understand.” The burly man opened his mouth to speak but swallowed his words in the end.

The struggle for inheritance in wealthy families was far more brutal than he had imagined. Sibling rivalry was common, let alone the fact that these two were not even biological brothers. Yin Zhiyi was merely a foster son in the Qiu family. Without a firm hand, how could he possibly have defeated both Qiu Yiyuan and Qiu Tongfu?
Bang—

The sharp gunshot echoed in the empty space, even with a silencer it made some noise. Fortunately, this factory had long been abandoned, with few people within a hundred meters, let alone anyone discovering the scene.

“Ugh…” Qiu Yiyuan’s painful groan accompanied the gunshot, making one’s heart inexplicably tighten.
Using the faint light from his phone, the burly man saw Qiu Yiyuan, the rightful heir of the Qiu family, cry out in pain as blood gushed from his chest, soaking the area.

The strong smell of blood stimulated his nerves, and the call had never been disconnected.
Seeing his chest no longer moving, the man finally relaxed his tense body and respectfully said, “Mr. Yin, he’s dead. Should I dispose of the body?”
He did not doubt the efficiency of the task.

The gunshot still ringing in his ears was proof enough.
Yin Zhiyi’s peripheral vision glanced out of the car window at the dazzling neon lights outside. The smile on his lips faded.
Despite having eliminated a major threat, his eyelids kept twitching. He felt an inexplicable unease and frustration.

He got out of the car, took a deep breath of the fresh air unique to the plants, and looked around the quiet tree-lined path. He calmly instructed, “Good job. Shoot a few more times to make sure he’s dead…”

He didn’t have time to finish his sentence when he froze beside the car, staring at the previously clear night sky with wide eyes.
Boom—
Thunder rumbled deafeningly, echoing in the small world around him. As the wind and clouds gathered, a massive lightning bolt struck down from the sky.

Under the stunned gaze of a distant passerby, the bolt of lightning struck him, who was on the phone, almost instantly.

The intense pain and burning sensation deeply imprinted on his body, like being stung by countless wasps. Such pain was unbearable for anyone. Perhaps as a protective mechanism, his consciousness faded in an instant under the excruciating torture.

The taste of death filled his heart. Everything happened too fast for him to react.
They say that too many evil deeds will bring divine retribution. Is this finally my karma?
In his dying moment, he even found the mood to jest.

【Congratulations to the host for successfully activating the system. Detecting body damage, matching suitable host…】
【Ding—match successful. Uploading data to urban romance novel “The Autumn Wind Blows Past My Window” character: Second Male Lead, Ling Su.】

A clear, emotionless male voice abruptly sounded in Yin Zhiyi’s mind. After an unknown period of darkness, he suddenly opened his eyes to see the gentle light of a chandelier above. The intense pain felt like a distant memory, as if it had all been a vividly real dream.

He looked down and was surprised to find his body, which should have been charred by lightning, not only unharmed but also markedly different. Without time to marvel at his survival,
he stood up from the sofa and subtly surveyed his surroundings.
An unfamiliar environment.

【Ding—detecting that the host has regained consciousness. Uploading host’s memories and world storyline.】
A light blue screen unexpectedly appeared in his field of vision, causing his pupils to contract instinctively. At the same time, a flood of chaotic images, like a revolving lantern, surged into his mind. Most of these images belonged to another man he had never met.

After reviewing the life of the man named ‘Ling Su,’ he was about to grasp the situation when a book titled “The Autumn Wind Blows Past My Window” dissolved into countless fragments, merging into his mind. The entanglements of the main characters unfolded before his eyes.

“A novel?” He murmured, rubbing his aching temples, his eyes shining slightly.
It seemed that the lightning bolt had not only struck his body but also shattered his worldview. If he didn’t have a clear mind and no physical injuries, he might have thought his brain had been damaged by the strike.

The soothing pure music in his ears calmed his agitated emotions. Remembering something, he searched the house for a mirror using Ling Su’s memories. When he finally saw the gentle face in the mirror, he confirmed that he had indeed been reborn.

No matter how absurd, Yin Zhiyi had to believe that he had been reborn as the lovelorn second male lead in an urban romance novel.

The priority was to understand his current situation. He thoughtfully stared at the information projected in his vision, which briefly explained the reason for his rebirth and the price he had to pay in return.

As an adopted son of the Qiu family, he was ungrateful and repeatedly plotted against the male lead, Qiu Yiyuan, driving him out of the Qiu family.

According to the original plot, the male lead should have narrowly escaped death in the recent attack. As the villain, Yin Zhiyi would wait to be defeated by the triumphant protagonist, then retreat in disgrace. But things had gone awry. It was his fault for not following the script.

He realized that the reason he was struck by lightning was that he had instructed his men to fire extra shots, which likely resulted in the male lead’s death, altering the original plot.

This forced the world’s consciousness to intervene and strike him down, obliterating the villain who repeatedly disrupted the storyline.

So his cheap little brother was actually the protagonist of this small world.
“No wonder he was so hard to kill.” Yin Zhiyi didn’t feel the disparity of falling from high society to an ordinary person.

After the initial shock subsided, he found the situation interesting and even joked about how Qiu Yiyuan had narrowly escaped his schemes multiple times.

The reason for his rebirth as the lovelorn second male lead ‘Ling Su’ was not accidental either.
Cursed with karmic retribution, his soul was destined to dissipate in this world with no reincarnation. His only chance of survival was to become the most important person to the protagonist, thereby sharing the protagonist’s vast fortune.

However, as a villain marked by the world during his divine punishment, descending would mean instant annihilation by the heavenly law. The system could only temporarily shield him, placing him in the body of the second male lead, who was also beloved by the world. The price was to travel through various worlds, absorb the protagonists’ fortunes, and fulfill the second male lead’s wishes.

Ling Su’s wish was simple, just one sentence: He hoped the heroine would never fall in love with the male lead in this lifetime.
Yin Zhiyi’s curiosity was piqued. He reviewed the novel’s plot transmitted by the system, finally understanding why Ling Su had such a wish. It had become an obsession.

Not knowing what deal he made with the system, Ling Su willingly ceded control of his body for a while.
According to the system’s transmitted plot, the male and female leads had a one-night stand when the male lead was unconscious. Before confessing their feelings, they parted ways due to misunderstandings.
When the male lead won the power struggle and inherited the family’s vast fortune, he returned to find the heroine married.

The male lead, watching the heroine’s harmonious family life with Ling Su, mistakenly believed she loved the second male lead, feeling heartbroken and deciding to leave her world. In truth, the heroine discovered her pregnancy after their separation. To protect her and quell rumors, Ling Su chose a fake marriage.

The story ended with the leads reuniting after an accident four years later. Through a series of events, they cleared up misunderstandings and reconciled, while the lovelorn second male lead, Ling Su, sacrificed himself halfway through the plot, believing the male lead had abandoned the heroine.

As for Yin Zhiyi’s own ending, he had guessed it wouldn’t be good even before reading it. He had no extra emotions about it. What concerned him more was the system’s purpose in doing all this. As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

After carefully reviewing Ling Su’s life and the plotline, his wariness relaxed a bit, “So the truth is that ridiculous. I’m just a villain in a novel? Is this world… real?”
Suppressing his trembling voice, he asked, his pupils dilating with excitement as he felt his heart pounding in his chest.
Then…
What lies beyond this world?

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