The Cold-Faced Cutie Cub Falls into the Villain's Lair

Xia Mansheng is an utterly ordinary background character.

In this world, his job is to be the most inconspicuous extra, witnessing other people’s eventful lives.

The family he witnesses most often is the villainous Fu family.

They’re not only rich and powerful, they’re rotten to the core.

In love stories, they tear couples apart. In entrepreneurial stories, they crush businesses. Even in slice-of-life stories, they exploit poor working stiffs, playing the role of ruthless, heartless capitalists...

The worst of them, the Fu family’s young master, will grow up to become a highly intelligent serial killer.

When he’s five, Xia Mansheng dreams that having to witness all their vile deeds will make his own life turbulent. He’ll keep passing by crime scenes.

He’ll even get separated from his mother because of it, and never see her again before he dies.

So, after waking up, Xia Mansheng decides he’ll move into the villains’ lair of his own accord this time. That way, he won’t have to keep running around!

As for whether he’ll be scared, Xia Mansheng says it’s fine.

He’s been used to all kinds of thrills since birth, and has long since acquired a calm, unruffled expression that no situation can shake.

Anyway, to avoid stealing the protagonist’s spotlight, a background character’s life won’t be too good, but it won’t be too bad either. If you have no dreams or hopes, there’s nothing to fear.

*

At this point, the Fu family’s young master hasn’t yet become the genius criminal he’ll be in the future.

His name is Fu Danye. He’s only nine years old, withdrawn, gloomy, and quiet. Everyone keeps their distance from him.

Then one day, a cute little boy with an unusually calm expression enters his life.

When Fu Danye flies into a rage, this boy is the only one who remains completely unaffected. He sits down beside Fu Danye, blinks his big eyes, and says earnestly:

“Is your name Dandan because you’re lonely? Then you can call me Mansheng, because I’m always taking things slowly.”

“Our names sound alike, so let’s be best friends!”

He... is so calm, so cute, so different.

In Fu Danye’s world, background character Xia Mansheng becomes the most important protagonist of all.

They eat together, sleep together, and go to school together.

Gradually, Xia Mansheng realizes that his inconspicuous-background-character aura seems to be wearing off.

His exam scores rise to first place. He wins awards in all sorts of competitions. His family grows richer, and more and more people gather around him, looking at him with admiration and affection.

Why would the spotlight follow a background character?

...For a lazy fish who’s been used to having no dreams since childhood, this is all a bit too much.

Xia Mansheng, seeking comfort, hides behind his childhood friend. He still prefers quiet, withdrawn children!

A strong pair of arms wraps around him, filling him with a sense of security.

He raises his head in confusion and realizes that at some point, Fu Danye has grown a head taller than him. He’s beginning to look like a man.

A possessive kiss lands on his forehead.

The silent boy speaks, one word at a time. “You’re mine.”

Mansheng takes it slow, so Dandan won’t be lonely.

P.S. The protagonist has no special powers. His dream is a memory from his previous life, similar to being reborn, not the ability to see the future. There are no supernatural elements later in the story, either.

The pairing is roughly:

Older top and childhood friends. An emotionally unstable, obsessive antagonist who turns into a gentle, doting big brother in front of his beloved x a beloved, deadpan-cute little brother who stays calm no matter what and is the nemesis of all kinds of villains.

Theme: Like a vine growing in summer, even with only a soft stem and tiny leaves, it can slowly bloom and cover a wall.