Chapter 403: Jealousy Over a Girl?

Wang Haoran pulled up in his sleek Pagani at the restaurant Gu Yurou had mentioned. After parking the car, he headed straight into the private room she reserved.

The room was already filled with a mix of guys and girls, all chatting and laughing in the cozy space. A few male classmates stepped forward, each offering birthday presents to Gu Yurou with overly eager smiles.

As Wang Haoran stepped in, heads turned. The girls’ eyes lit up, and their whispers were filled with excitement. They couldn’t hide their fangirl expressions as they subtly sized him up.

On the other hand, the guys? Their faces soured immediately, their envy barely hidden.

“You came,” Gu Yurou greeted with a soft smile, arms full of wrapped gifts. But the moment her gaze drifted to Wang Haoran’s empty hands, her expression subtly shifted.

There was a flash of dissatisfaction in her eyes—he really came without bringing a present.

Wang Haoran caught that flicker of disappointment and found it hilarious.

You were the one who said not to bring anything, and now you’re upset that I took your words at face value? Women really are the queens of saying one thing and meaning another.

Of course, he wasn’t here to win her over. He didn’t care to pander. What he really came for was to see if the male lead tied to Gu Yurou’s main plotline was here—someone who might trigger her protagonist arc. But after scanning the room, he sighed in disappointment.

Not a single guy looked worthy of being a lead. No one was handsome enough, no presence that stood out. Just a bunch of forgettable extras.

“Yurou, is that your boyfriend? He’s so hot!” one of the girls whispered while sneaking a few glances at Wang Haoran, her tone laced with envy.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. We’re just ordinary friends,” Gu Yurou quickly clarified, keeping her voice light but cold. To her, a guy who couldn’t even be bothered to bring a gift didn’t deserve special attention.

Wang Haoran stood quietly, not engaging with anyone else since he didn’t know any of them. And with Gu Yurou pointedly ignoring him, he ended up sitting there like an outsider.

After some chatting among the group, Gu Yurou noticed everyone had arrived. She pressed the service bell to call for someone to take their order.

But just then, the door swung open—not a waiter, but a tall, sharply handsome man with a cold, commanding aura stepped in.

“Wow… who is that? He’s insanely good-looking…”

Several of the girls instantly went into full fangirl mode.

Wang Haoran’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Finally, the man he had been waiting for had appeared.

“And you are?” Gu Yurou looked at the newcomer with obvious confusion.

The man looked her up and down, not with warmth but a hint of something darker—memories of a savage beating flashing through his mind and stirring long-buried resentment. Still, his expression stayed calm, perfectly masking the storm inside.

“You don’t recognize me?” the man asked.

“Sorry… who are you?” she asked again, still unable to place him.

“Mu Bai.”

The moment she heard the name, Gu Yurou’s expression froze. A wave of fear and shock flickered in her eyes. Of course, she remembered. Back in high school, this guy used to pester her constantly. He was a troublemaker, and after her parents got involved, he’d been beaten half to death and expelled from school.

But now, he was nothing like before. The former emo look—messy bangs hiding half his face—was gone. His hair was neatly trimmed, his features sharp and striking. There was a dangerous sort of charm in how composed and handsome he had become.

“What’s wrong? Not happy to see me?” Mu Bai asked, seeing how she hesitated.

“Please, have a seat,” Gu Yurou finally said with forced politeness. She had no idea why he’d shown up, but with that face… well, it was hard to be rude.

Wang Haoran didn’t take his eyes off Mu Bai. He didn’t know their history, but what he did see, through his perspective skill, was Mu Bai’s growing arousal just from looking at Gu Yurou.

Seriously? You’re popping a boner just staring at her?

Wang Haoran could smell the cliche plot a mile away.

This guy was clearly here to do what Lu Beige failed to do and force himself on Gu Yurou and take the male lead role by brute force. Whether he started out as a side character or a villain didn’t matter.

As long as he pushed her down, he’d be upgraded to male lead. And then, like clockwork, he’d drop all his resentment and become a loyal puppy, never sparing another woman a glance again.

Mu Bai’s gaze shifted toward Wang Haoran, and his voice went cold. “I don’t like how you’re looking at me.”

Wang Haoran raised a brow. “I don’t like your tone either.”

Mu Bai’s eyes narrowed. “You looking to die?”

Wang Haoran stood up slowly, his expression calm but his posture subtly ready.

“Hey, calm down! Don’t fight!” Gu Yurou quickly stepped between them, trying to ease the tension.

The girls in the room were practically squealing. Two gorgeous men about to fight over Gu Yurou? It was like a scene out of a drama.

Mu Bai gave Wang Haoran a last cold glare before backing off. “I’ll let you off for now.”

Wang Haoran didn’t respond. He wasn’t interested in arguing, but he had already made up his mind. This Mu Bai wasn’t walking away from this unscathed.

“Haoran, sit here. Mu Bai, you sit on the other side,” Gu Yurou said, trying to defuse things and place herself between them.

Wang Haoran found it all too familiar. So now he was playing the foil in a female lead’s harem scene?

“His name’s Wang Haoran?” Mu Bai repeated slowly.

“Yeah. Why is something wrong?” Gu Yurou asked, tilting her head.

“No… nothing at all.” Mu Bai gave a slow, meaningful smile.

Just then, the real waiter came in.

Gu Yurou began ordering for the table, even asking both Wang Haoran and Mu Bai what they wanted so as not to slight either of them.

Wang Haoran wasn’t surprised. That was standard behavior for a female lead who hadn’t chosen her man yet. It wasn’t that she was being manipulative—this was just how the story worked. Once she settled on her male lead, she’d be loyal, but until then, she’d float between options like a butterfly.

And to become that male lead? You had to take her. Willingly or not.

Report it to the police? Yeah, no. In this storyline, Gu Yurou was hardcoded not to do that. No matter how badly she was wronged, she would never report it. On the contrary, she’d end up falling for the man who did it.

It sounded twisted, but hey, some readers loved these tortured storylines. The more painful the romance, the more satisfying the payoff. And Wang Haoran couldn’t help thinking…

what if I use this rule to my advantage?

Gu Yurou’s protagonist halo was no joke. It was sitting at 5800, even higher than Yan Yuntian’s starter stats.

Lu Beige had already been disabled and couldn’t advance her storyline. But her protagonist aura still worked—and now it had drawn in Mu Bai like a moth to flame.

Wang Haoran could easily eliminate Mu Bai, but then what? Another one would come, then another… it would never end.

But what if he triggered her storyline himself? That would lock her into place, cut off those plotlines, and keep her loyal going forward.

Of course, he wasn’t stupid enough to do it for real. If he touched her for real, he’d become her official male lead. And he didn’t want that. Being her loyal dog for life? Pass.

But… what if he faked it?

He had done this kind of setup with Yun Churan already. He still had some of that same drug left. He could easily stage another fake scene.

If the story thought it had been triggered, maybe it would lock her in as his. And if it didn’t work? No big loss.

Soon, food arrived and everyone began to eat. Gu Yurou had been sipping a lot of drinks and halfway through the meal, she got up and excused herself to the restroom.

No surprise, Mu Bai quietly stood up and followed.

Wang Haoran also rose, trailing behind at a distance.

He had seen it through his skill—Mu Bai was getting overly excited. The guy wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore.

Looks like he couldn’t wait any longer.