[A flamboyant, spoiled, arrogant bottom VS a dignified, upright top who's actually full of bad ideas]
Cui Ci wakes up in a novel as the villainous fake young master. After the real young master returns, he loses his mind, lashes out, and does evil, ultimately meeting the standard fate of a villain.
He carefully follows the plot and plays the perfect villain.
Here's what that looks like:
1. Spoiled and willful
Since he'd been separated from his family and suffered a life of hardship right after birth, the prince and princess dote on this child immensely.
Cui Ci wickedly oversteps his bounds with Cui Zhao, his big brother and the heir to the prince's estate, provoking him at every turn. His brother likes to keep clean, so Cui Ci often plays until he's covered in dust, then rubs it all over him.
2. Always stirring up trouble
Cui Ci attends the Imperial College, where he gets into fights and plays pranks every few days, making plenty of enemies.
He raids bird nests and disturbs beehives, then drops the results on the head of the Marquis of Yanping's youngest son.
They say the old emperor receives a memorial from the Marquis of Yanping every few days.
3. Lazy and uneducated
That's right, a brainless, villainous antagonist is lazy and uneducated!
Cui Ci slacks off, listens to music in brothels, pits roosters and crickets against each other, and plays tricks on the Imperial College instructors until he's ordered to stay home and reflect on his behavior.
Then his big brother makes him copy books. Cui Ci copies an erotic romance, but his brother remains completely unflustered.
4. A womanizer
Yikes, he really can't do this one. Cui Ci is a coward.
So he pretends to flirt with everyone and hires people to put on a show, even though he's still a pure, inexperienced virgin.
But he plays the part perfectly. Everyone thinks he's a scoundrel who falls in love with anyone he meets. All the women in the capital avoid him like the plague.
Until his big brother catches him sneaking a look at a male-male romance in the middle of the night, disguised and headed to a male brothel.
The next day, his big brother takes him to copy books in his own study.
Cui Ci doesn't notice that the look in his big brother's eyes behind him is deeply unsettling: intense, restrained, and impossible to read.
In short, Cui Ci diligently plays the part of a wastrel villain while secretly helping the pitiful real young master, who is suffering terribly at the time.
At last, he manages to hang on until the plot begins: the real young master returns to the capital and crushes everyone in his path!
Cui Ci acts unreasonable and picks fights everywhere, successfully leaving everyone looking conflicted and making the atmosphere strange. Cui Ci is very pleased. He's already secretly arranged a carriage and a place to live, and with the savings he's built up over the years, he's ready to be unceremoniously kicked out.
Suddenly, his big brother grabs him tightly, eyes red, and asks in a barely restrained, excited voice, "Where are you going? You haven't finished copying the Mencius."
Cui Ci: ??
The real young master recognizes him as the benefactor who had helped him again and again, and joyfully throws his arms around him. "Don't go, Brother. It's my turn to repay you now."
Then he whispers in his ear, "I'm the protagonist. Stick with me."
Cui Ci: !!
Theme: Sincerity is the key that opens the door to love.
