The Villainous Childhood Friend in a Male-Led Novel

Lan Zhiheng, young master of the Lan clan of Imperial City, was peerlessly gifted, refined, and otherworldly. He was the universally adored ideal of the entire Immortal Capital. He was also the man Wen Ruci had secretly loved for ten years. They had cultivated together for a decade. One night, drunk, she accidentally blurted out her secret love. In the rain, he gently settled her cloak around her shoulders. His expression was tender, yet distant. “I’ve always thought of you as a younger sister, and nothing more.” - Wen Ruci was utterly heartbroken. Only then did she discover that she was a supporting character in a novel: a delicate, affected, vain childhood friend who faked a pregnancy to win the male lead, only to meet a tragic end. To escape her miserable fate, she had no choice but to follow the plot and keep playing the villainous younger sister who loved the male lead hopelessly and harassed him at every turn. She clung to him relentlessly, acting spoiled and domineering. When he was gravely injured, she took the chance to take liberties with him. Before he left on a long journey, she drugged him and climbed into his bed in the middle of the night… After all her schemes, Lan Zhiheng never blamed her. When joking with others, he still described her the same way: “She’s just my younger sister. She can be a little difficult.” … When he returned from his journey, he learned that she was pregnant. Who could have guessed that a man who had always been so restrained and proper would nearly lose control? His eyes reddened with fury as he backed her into a corner, his face dark with anger. “Whose is it?” That night, he clearly hadn’t touched her. * Lan Zhiheng was ill, and not mildly so. He suffered from a divided-soul disorder. By day, he was as pristine and untouchable as the moon, unmoved by her relentless advances. By night, another “him” kept her captive in a warm chamber, seducing Wen Ruci until she was intoxicated with desire, helplessly lost in it. Fortunately, Lan Zhiheng didn’t know that his illness struck at night. By day, he still treated her as family, just as the plot required. That allowed Wen Ruci to keep playing her role as usual, until The fake pregnancy in the story became real. Wen Ruci had gone too far… * After learning the truth, Lan Zhiheng wanted to kill “himself.” Yet to keep her by his side, he willingly pretended to be the other self he despised and found humiliating. Reader’s Note: The worldbuilding is entirely author-created. The male lead is ill. This is not a conventional split-personality story: essentially, he is one person. 1v1x1. They love each other mutually. The male lead doesn’t realize his feelings at first. Later, hearing her call him “elder brother” makes him lose it. He’s a mad dog who’d kick even a stray dog just for passing by. . Theme: Be as supple as a stream, and as steadfast as a rock.