After the Villainous Chosen One Set His Sights on Me

Shen Lizhen transmigrates into the role of a cannon-fodder character.

The kind who gets blasted into pieces by the male lead, Pei Ci, in the original story.

The System says: Win over a villain, max out his affection, and go home.

The good news: There are only two bad guys in this world.

The bad news: Both of them are utterly evil.

One is the protagonist, Pei Ci, a purely violent, smiling battle maniac who loves fighting strong opponents. His only language is his fists.

The other is the great villain, Zuo Jinnian, a hypocritical, selfish man who treats human lives as tools in his struggle for power.

The protagonist looks way too eager for a fight, and Shen Lizhen is afraid he'll get beaten to death before he can finish winning him over, so he decisively chooses the great villain Zuo Jinnian as his target.

He infiltrates the Federation and becomes Zuo Jinnian's adjutant. He stays in the job for three years, all to win this villain over.

The night Zuo Jinnian captures the protagonist, Pei Ci,

Zuo Jinnian takes a syringe from the drawer and tosses it in front of him.

"Inject him with this. Inject yourself, too."

Shen Lizhen looks down at the syringe. Pei Ci is suspended from a torture rack, covered in blood.

Zuo Jinnian leans against the wall and lights a cigarette, waiting for him to act.

After a long while, the man frowns, his voice cold. "What, don't want to?"

Shen Lizhen hesitates, but still injects the drug into his own vein, then walks over to Pei Ci.

Pei Ci has his head bowed. Hearing the footsteps, he slowly lifts it.

His face is covered in blood, but the corners of his mouth curve up.

Shen Lizhen grips his chin. Pei Ci tilts his head to look at him, eyes narrowing, his voice light and friendly, as if greeting an acquaintance.

"Your hand is shaking."

Shen Lizhen says nothing.

"Don't be nervous." He smiles, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his voice carrying a hint of coaxing. "I won't bite."

Shen Lizhen doesn't know how he gets through that night.

From then on, his life is split in two.

By day, he is Zuo Jinnian's most capable adjutant.

Zuo Jinnian doesn't apologize or admit fault. He just smiles and leaves the best equipment on Shen Lizhen's desk. Dangerous missions that used to go to him every time are now assigned to other people.

Sometimes he even pats Shen Lizhen on the head and praises him with that flawless smile of his: "Good work."

Before, after patting his head, he would immediately turn away and wipe his hand with a handkerchief, then throw it in the trash. Now he quietly folds the handkerchief and puts it against his chest.

Shen Lizhen wants nothing but for the villain Zuo Jinnian to look his way, or at least give him a mission to complete.

Even though he does many cruel things to Pei Ci along the way,

he keeps telling himself that it's a mission. He has to get home.

At night, he goes to treat Pei Ci's wounds.

Before he can even open the cell door, Pei Ci's eyes curve into a smile, as if he's been waiting a long time.

"You're later than yesterday. Did that old man keep you busy?"

Shen Lizhen ignores him. He opens the medical kit, disinfects the wounds, and applies medicine.

"You're so cute. Want to fight again? How about the same way we did last time?"

His voice comes from above, full of laughter.

Shen Lizhen focuses on applying the medicine.

"Can't even control your own body. What a pathetic weakling."

He pauses and tilts his head. The chains sway gently, and his eyes brim with an innocent yet cruel smile.

Shen Lizhen presses the gauze back against his wound. Not gently. Pei Ci's eyes are still smiling.

The chains clatter along with his laughter, echoing through the empty dungeon.

"I hope we can fight together again. Next time, I'll snap your neck with my own hands."

Shen Lizhen packs up the medical kit and walks to the door. Pei Ci's voice draws out the words as it chases after him.

"See you tomorrow, my..."

The night Pei Ci escapes, he even smiles at the surveillance camera.

Later, Shen Lizhen watches the recording and sees that smile, directed at the camera. Pei Ci's eyes curve into slits as he mouths two words without making a sound.

His lips say: Prey.

The night Pei Ci escapes, Shen Lizhen makes a decision

Overthrow Zuo Jinnian's rule, imprison him, and force him to raise his affection level.

Someone like him won't be won over with sincerity. He has to be tempted with power.

The moment the door is blasted open, the flames nearly burn Shen Lizhen's eyes.

Someone stands in the smoke. His shirt hangs open, bandages wrapped around his chest. Beneath them are the wounds Shen Lizhen treated himself.

Behind him, countless mechs aim their cannons into the room.

Pei Ci bends down to look inside the cockpit

Zuo Jinnian leans against the corner. The drug still hasn't worn off. He watches Pei Ci through half-lidded eyes, his gaze cold as a blade.

Pei Ci braces himself against the cockpit door and leans toward Shen Lizhen. His eyes curve into crescents, and he lowers his voice, smiling as he offers Shen Lizhen his hand, one word at a time.

"That fight we had last time."

"We never got to decide who won."

"Come with me."

"You still owe me a fight."

Shen Lizhen stops breathing.

Pei Ci tilts his head, his smile deepening. Something glints in the depths of his curved eyes.

"Hey, won't you come with me? Then I guess I'll have to go find that old man behind you."

Pei Ci smiles and licks his lips, his expression cruel and innocent.

"An old man like him, trying to steal someone else's prey. Is he ready to be beaten to death?"

Behind him, restraints hit the floor.

Zuo Jinnian breaks free and stands, then walks toward Shen Lizhen one step at a time.

"Shen Lizhen."

"Don't go with him."

"He doesn't want you. He's just looking for an opponent."

Silence, then an even longer pause. His voice drops until it's almost hoarse.

"He'll beat you to death."

"Don't go with him. I... can give you something better."

A window pops up from the System, asking Shen Lizhen whether he wants to switch targets. The cost is that Zuo Jinnian's affection level will reset to zero.

The cannons of countless mechs point at his back. Two gazes, one smiling and one sharp as a blade. Neither man backs down.

Shen Lizhen stands between them.

The wind blows quietly.

On the bed.

Shen Lizhen lies on his back, still catching his breath.

They just finished a fight, then somehow ended up in bed. The reason is that Pei Ci wanted to fight.

Now Pei Ci braces one hand beside his ear, his nose almost touching Shen Lizhen's.

Blood seeps from the split corner of his mouth. He doesn't wipe it away. His eyes curve into a smile, like he's just finished unwrapping something he'd waited a long time for.

"You're breathing so hard."

Shen Lizhen looks at the blood by his mouth. It's not Pei Ci's blood, but Shen Lizhen's, smeared there after Pei Ci bit him hard enough to draw blood.

"Don't you dare break," Pei Ci says with a tilted head and a smile. He extends an index finger and slowly presses it against Shen Lizhen's lips. "If you break, I'll be bored."

Pinned down on the bed, Shen Lizhen stares at the ceiling swaying above him. Even now, he still can't understand how things ended up like this.

The male lead is a real smiling battle maniac, the strongest of them all, and the only way he knows how to express his feelings is through fighting. To him, pain is the ultimate pleasure, so there's no need to worry about him getting beaten.

The male lead has an insanely strong desire to control and torment, but he won't force himself on the protagonist. He wants to play with him, so proceed with caution.

A stoic, cold, sharp-tongued protagonist who keeps his feelings to himself, and a smiling battle maniac male lead.

This story uses a restricted perspective, from the protagonist's point of view. It isn't sweet romance, it's more like a love-triangle showdown.

Note:

The story is told from the protagonist's point of view, but there is a contrast between their physical positions and the balance of emotional power. Their roles in and out of bed don't change, only their positions do.

The male lead only knows how to express his feelings through fighting and testing the protagonist.

The male lead only knows how to express his feelings through fighting and testing the protagonist.

The male lead only knows how to express his feelings through fighting and testing the protagonist.

Important things are said three times!

All right, let's begin.

Theme: Align your actions with your intentions, do your best to exercise your agency, and adapt to the circumstances.