Chapter 314: Protagonist Kills Protagonist

“Hmm? What are you smiling about?” Qin Yunhan noticed the quiet, inexplicable grin on Wang Haoran’s face and blinked in surprise.

“I’m just happy. Sharing seafood with you—it’s a good night,” Wang Haoran replied with a light chuckle, easily deflecting. Of course, he had no intention of telling her the real reason.

“I’m happy too.” A flush of warmth colored her cheeks, and her smile deepened.

Her voice dropped half a pitch as she leaned in slightly. “After dinner, I’m not going back to the school dorm.”

She shot him a meaningful look.

Wang Haoran immediately caught her intent and nodded in quiet agreement, the smile on his face deepening. But inwardly, he was still savoring the rush from the message he’d just received.

Qingling was crawling with female leads. As long as someone like Yan Yuntian—the walking disaster of a protagonist—was lurking around, it was always going to be a risk. But now? That hidden danger was gone.

Yan Yuntian had lost his manhood. Even if he stood face-to-face with a female lead now, he’d be utterly powerless.

More importantly, the Limitless Carefree Art he cultivated could no longer progress. He was stuck at the Minor Grandmaster stage of Internal Energy—and at that level, Wang Haoran could kill him with ease.

Of course, that was assuming the Fatal Damage Rebound Halo didn’t activate.

To fully eliminate a protagonist like Yan Yuntian, his Protagonist Halo had to drop below 2000. Only then would the halo’s passive effect deactivate, leaving him vulnerable to death.

That wouldn’t happen overnight—but it was only a matter of time.

He thought of Lin Chen. That brat used to have an Undying Halo, yet once his Protagonist Halo dropped below 1000, he became no threat at all.

After dinner, Wang Haoran planned to take Qin Yunhan back to the villa. The night, after all, was still young—and the “talk about life and ideals” would certainly require a bed.

But as they walked…

【Ding! Host’s manipulation from behind the scenes has resulted in protagonist Lin Chen being killed by protagonist Yan Yuntiann. Gained 3000 Villain Points!】

The notification hit him like a lightning bolt. Wang Haoran stopped dead in his tracks.

Lin Chen was dead?

Originally, he only intended to use Lin Chen as a convenient scapegoat. The kid was young—only eight years old. It was just a flash of inspiration, a passing thought.

He’d told Yu Ning to feed false intel to Yan Yuntian, hoping it would serve as a distraction.

But truthfully, he hadn’t expected much. Even if Yàn Yúntiān did believe it, once he actually confronted Lin Chen, the boy could just explain the misunderstanding.

After all, Lin Chen truly had no relationship with Qin Yunhan.

But now… he was dead.

Did Yan Yuntian seriously go so far as to kill him without even letting him speak? There didn’t seem to be any other explanation.

Wang Haoran let out a slow breath. The outcome was wildly unexpected.

He’d been planning to slowly “harvest” Lin Chen for Villain Points—bit by bit, squeezing him like a woolly little sheep.

Now the sheep was gone. It was a definite loss—but not a total one.

Because Lin Chen had a powerful older sister, someone who hadn’t appeared yet. By killing Lin Chen, Yan Yuntian had offended her.

And if she did make an appearance, Wang Haoran could easily stoke the flames, pit her against Yan Yuntian, and sit back to enjoy the fallout.

Even better, he discovered a brand-new way to deal with protagonists: let them kill each other while he reaps all the benefits.

A pity, though. There weren’t many protagonists currently on Yan Yuntian’s level.

Guys like Ye Qiu, Xiao Ye, and Fang Heng—they were just sheep. Wool generators. He needed them alive.

“Why’d you stop walking all of a sudden?” Qin Yunhan asked, blinking at him in confusion.

“I just remembered something I need to handle. You head to the villa first. I’ll be there soon,” Wang Haoran said smoothly.

“Alright, I’ll stream a few PUBG matches while I wait for you,” she replied with a grin, her voice as sweet as syrup.

Wang Haoran walked her to the villa entrance, then turned and left.

—

The night was dark. Clouds veiled the moon.

Yan Yuntian returned to the residence, and a cold, murderous glint still lingered in his eyes. He hadn’t fully shaken it off.

Yu Ning’s heart skipped when she saw his expression. A chill ran up her spine, but she still stepped forward and asked carefully, “Young master… is it done?”

“Mn.” Yan Yuntian nodded, though his eyes were still stormy with unresolved frustration.

He had killed Qin Yunhan’s boyfriend. And yet, the obsession in his heart remained.

A stain that wouldn’t wash out. A gnawing regret, but what was done was done. All that was left now… was to seek pleasure and drown out the dissatisfaction.

His gaze drifted to Yu Ning.

Under the soft glow of the lantern light, she stood silently, her beauty quiet and soul-stirring.

“My mood is bad. Keep me company,” he said.

Yu Ning froze. A surge of rejection and revulsion burst from the pit of her stomach. She clenched her fists behind her back, heart pounding with disgust.

Her heart already belonged to someone else. Even if she had to die, she would protect her purity. There was no way she would let Yan Yuntian touch her.

But she knew full well—with her meager level of Internal Energy, there was no resisting him.

She quietly prepared to face death.

Yet as Yan Yuntian continued to gaze at her, his expression shifted from desire… to confusion.

Something was off.

That feeling—the one he always felt when desire flared—it wasn’t there.

Yu Ning was undeniably beautiful, and he felt moved by her… but only in his heart. The rest of his body remained unmoved.

This shouldn’t be happening.

“…Forget it. I want to be alone,” Yan Yuntian muttered abruptly and turned away.

Yu Ning blinked in disbelief. Relief flooded her chest, but she quickly hid it, keeping her expression still.

Yan Yuntian didn’t notice as his thoughts were elsewhere. He turned and walked toward his bedroom without another word.

Yu Ning let out a long breath and returned to her own room, but as soon as she stepped inside, her eyes lit up.

There, standing in the shadows, was a familiar figure.

“You’re here?!” she whispered in delight.

“Of course. I came to see you,” Wang Haoran said with a smile.

Those simple words made her head spin.

“Just now, Yan Yuntian… he wanted to—but then suddenly changed his mind,” she said in a shaken voice. “I was terrified.”

“You’ll be fine,” Wang Haoran replied gently, smiling as if he’d known the outcome all along.

In truth, he had seen it—everything that had happened between Yu Ning and Yan Yuntian.

“The pill you gave me… it worked that fast? He really can’t…?” Yu Ning’s voice trailed off, her face slightly pink as she tried to find a more delicate phrasing.

“Of course.” Wang Haoran grinned darkly.

He used his X-ray vision to peer into Yan Yuntian’s room—where the so-called protagonist was currently losing his mind, smashing furniture and cursing the heavens after discovering his “issue.”

【Ding! Host’s manipulation has caused severe psychological damage to protagonist Yan Yuntian. Gained 1000 Villain Points! Yàn Yúntiān’s Protagonist Halo -50, Host’s Villain Halo +50!】

【Ding! Host’s manipulation has caused severe psychological damage to protagonist Yan Yuntian. Gained 2000 Villain Points! Yàn Yúntiān’s Protagonist Halo -100, Host’s Villain Halo +100!】

【Ding! Host’s manipulation has caused severe psychological damage to protagonist Yan Yuntian. Gained 3000 Villain Points! Yàn Yúntiān’s Protagonist Halo -150, Host’s Villain Halo +150!】

Wang Haoran basked in the triple reward, grinning with satisfaction. After a moment, he turned to Yu Ning. “You’ve spent quite a bit of time at Fengxi Sect. You must know the people around Yan Yuntian well. Are there any… standout beauties among them?”

Fengxi Sect had many women, and it was entirely possible one of them was another female lead.

Yu Ning’s eyes sparkled with awe. “There’s one… the number-one hidden beauty of the martial world.”

Her tone was filled with admiration and longing.

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