A Straight Man of a Certain Age, Yet a Reluctant Harem Magnet [Quick Transmigration]

At forty, Xu Qinglan was exceptionally handsome and successful, but a terminal illness forced him to die with regrets. Perhaps Heaven took pity on him: he was bound to a Cannon Fodder System, whose mission was to play all kinds of tragic cannon-fodder characters. Xu Qinglan did his best to maintain his assigned persona and follow the plot. But for some reason, in each little world, the male leads who should have hated him more than anyone else fell deeply in love with him instead. Xu Qinglan, who was straighter than a ruler, was driven half out of his mind by one man after another confessing their love. He wanted to scream, “Stay away from me!” Part One: *The Pretty Boy Reaches Middle Age* Xu Qinglan was a useless good-for-nothing who never accomplished a thing, yet he had an unbelievable talent for coaxing women. The wealthy heiresses and married women all knew what a piece of trash lay beneath that considerate, gentle exterior. But his good looks were irresistible, and they still flocked to him, gladly showering him with expensive gifts and luxury goods during their relationships. Xu Qinglan dated one woman, broke up with her, then started dating another, drifting through life until middle age. The pretty boy of yesteryear was getting on in years. The fine lines at the corners of his eyes were like the delicate veins of rose petals, and his whole being had the lush, decadent beauty of an overripe, thin-skinned berry. It was as if the slightest touch could release the cloying scent of sweet wine from his very bones. A trace of it would cling to you for life, filling even your dreams with vivid, saturated colors like fruit juice. Xu Qinglan had always been charming and debonair, and used to attract only women. Now, for some inexplicable reason, his every gesture carried a ripe, inviting allure that left men bewitched, too. The CEO whose girlfriend he had once stolen; The son of the woman he was currently meeting through a matchmaking service; The head of the family, who had always glared at him and treated him with cold contempt; His childhood friend, and that friend’s younger brother, who had always loathed him; His adopted son, who looked down on him for idling away his time and had cut ties with him long ago. So many men were drawn to him by his scent. Their sticky gazes seemed ready to devour Xu Qinglan alive, savoring every bone until there was no taste left, then swallowing the scraps just to finish him off. Xu Qinglan, who had spent half his life being despised and rejected by other men, didn’t notice a thing. Even when they had their hands on his waist, he thought they were provoking him. So if they devoured him whole, who could blame them? The other men didn’t think there was anything to feel guilty about in turning a straight man gay. Better to tear down ten temples than to ruin a marriage. Xu Qinglan had used his looks to destroy so many couples and caused so much misery. He owed so many people a wife. Now he was paying them all back. Part Two: *The Beloved’s Evil Adoptive Father* As a cannon-fodder villain, Xu Qinglan was hypocritical, greedy, and snobbish. To him, his beloved adopted son, who had been adored by everyone since childhood, was just a tool for making money. Day and night, he schemed to “sell” the boy for the highest price. So one day he asked his adopted son’s childhood-friend seme for money in the boy’s name; the next, he set up a situation at a banquet so the cross-dressing seme and the beloved could be alone together, then drugged them both; the day after that, he went to the powerful seme to negotiate how large the beloved’s bride-price should be. The male leads in love with the beloved couldn’t stand to see him treated this way. In the end, Xu Qinglan was supposed to gain nothing and be schemed into an inescapable death. That was how the plot was meant to go. But after Xu Qinglan transmigrated into the story, the plot fell apart all over again. The childhood-friend seme said to him: “Uncle, you know I’ve never had a father. Could you hold me?” “It won’t be for free. I’ll pay. Is five million enough?” “Uncle, could you kiss me? Ten million? If that’s not enough, I’ll give you a hundred million.” “Uncle, I’m scared. Stay in bed with me. I used to sleep with my father when I was little. As thanks, I can give you half of my parents’ inheritance.” “Uncle, you’ve taken all this money from me, and now that we’ve slept together you’re saying no? Too late.” The cross-dressing seme said to him: “Brother, you drugged me because you like me too, right? But it’s not nice of you to let the little kid watch. Let’s send him out.” “Brother, I used to be a girl, too. Then I got very sick. The illness not only left me flat-chested, it also gave me an extra part down below. You won’t hate me, will you?” “It’s too late to regret it now, Brother. You’ve seen my body, so you have to take responsibility for me. I’ll be a good wife and stepmother.” The powerful seme said to him: “Money isn’t a problem.” “But we’ll have to change the bride.” Backup screenshot of the blurb, November 3, 2024 Theme: Never surrender to fate