Chapter 5: Xu Liang's Minor Gesture,

Shattering the Protagonist's Mindset

"Why is Mr. Xu taking so long inside?" he muttered to himself. "What could he and Liu Ruolan
be doing? Maybe they're in the office, on the couch, or on her desk…"

If it weren't for the vigilant security guards watching him, he would have already rushed inside.
Some kind-hearted security guards urged him to leave, but he refused.

What a joke! His head was starting to emit green light. How could he just walk away at this
point?

This dedication moved the security guards, who were touched by his determination. They
marveled at the CEO's charm. People were willing to endure the scorching sun just for a glimpse
of her.

As Lin Hao's patience reached its limit, the familiar Rolls-Royce finally emerged. There was an
additional person in the car, Liu Ruolan, the CEO. The security guards averted their gaze,
pretending not to notice, and quietly opened the car doors.

Lin Hao's spirits were lifted, and he gritted his teeth. Following the car, he couldn't afford to let
this opportunity slip away. Despite the Rolls-Royce's slow speed, Lin Hao, who had trained in
martial arts for years, had no trouble tailing it.

The car didn't travel far and eventually stopped in front of a five-star hotel. The driver, a
bodyguard, got out to open the door for Xu Liang.

Liu Ruolan exited the car from the other side, and their relationship seemed quite ordinary.
Under normal circumstances, shouldn't it be the man opening the car door for his female
companion? At the very least, shouldn't it be the bodyguards assisting the lady?

Lin Hao, who had been discreetly observing, breathed a sigh of relief. However, his relief was
short-lived as he found something peculiar. Xu Liang, upon getting out of the car, headed
towards the hotel entrance, while Liu Ruolan quickly followed.
Wait, isn't this the other way around? Why does it look like Liu Ruolan is the one catering to Xu
Liang? Lin Hao shook his head, dispelling his doubts, and decided to follow them discreetly.

Rather than approaching them directly, he chose to continue observing from the shadows. The
two of them secured a table in the lobby. The waiter took their orders, and then they conversed
and dined together like ordinary business partners. Lin Hao began to believe that he had
overanalyzed the situation.

However, the next scene he witnessed shattered his earlier conclusions. After Xu Liang had
finished eating, he casually scanned the surroundings, his eyes displaying a hint of interest. His
visit today had two purposes: to check on the protagonist's appearance and to assess the plot's
progression in case he intervened.

The protagonist indeed appeared unremarkable, fitting the role of a low-profile show-off.
Furthermore, the plot had deviated from the original storyline. Instead of the protagonist leaving
the mountains and Liu Ruolan offering him a security job in the company, the story had taken a
different turn.

"What if I eliminate the protagonist?" Xu Liang pondered.

Liu Ruolan had finished her meal as well. She appeared calm on the surface, but internally, she
was anxious, almost to the point of tears. Previously, Xu Liang had visited her occasionally, but
he always waited a few days in between to avoid raising suspicion. Why had he come
consecutively these last two days?

After eating and drinking, would Xu Liang take her home, or would they continue to her office?
Liu Ruolan's mind was a whirlwind of emotions.

As she contemplated, a hand extended in front of her, holding a napkin. It was an unspoken
request for her to wipe her mouth. Raising her head, she saw Xu Liang looking at her with
gentle, elegant eyes.

However, Liu Ruolan felt an icy chill beneath his genteel facade. Only she knew what kind of
devil lay hidden beneath his mild and affable exterior.

Not daring to look further, she quickly withdrew her gaze, ready to take the napkin from his
hand. But before she could, a voice as warm as a spring breeze echoed in her ear.
"Let me help you with that."

With these words, Xu Liang brought the napkin to her mouth and gently wiped it. His actions
were as tender as if he were treating a girlfriend.

"Thank...thank you," Liu Ruolan hurriedly expressed her gratitude, her voice trembling and
incoherent.

"With our relationship, there's no need to be so polite," Xu Liang began to say, but something
strange happened. The system that was previously only triggered when he successfully brought
the heroine into the family suddenly emerged.

[Ding! Lin Hao has developed anger towards you, raising the Villain value by +666]

[Ding! Lin Hao has developed resentment towards you, raising the Villain value by +888]

Understanding this, Xu Liang suddenly realized that the system had a new feature online. It
seemed that by harming the protagonist, he could accumulate Villain value, which could then be
used for system draws.

Originally, rewards were only obtained by bringing the heroine into the family, but now there
was an additional source of rewards.

"Tsk."

Xu Liang clicked his tongue. This was like declaring war with the protagonist. Nevertheless, it
didn't matter. He had snatched the heroine in the past without any remorse, so he was no stranger
to ruthless tactics. However, his plans were about to change.

Originally, he had intended to eliminate the protagonist as soon as he appeared to prevent any
future troubles. But now, he saw a chance to use him. Instead of killing the protagonist, he
thought it might be more beneficial to extract the last traces of his value and let him emit his
final radiance.

By striking the protagonist, he could accumulate Villain value to use for power-ups. In this give-
and-take, what could the protagonist use against him? Extracting Villain value was essentially a
way of seizing good fortune from the protagonist.
Unfortunately, Lin Hao's fortune was rather limited, and it probably wouldn't be long before he
was drained. Xu Liang wished there were more protagonists. After siphoning one's fortune, he
could simply eliminate them and move on to another, like harvesting crops, one after another.

Xu Liang had a vague suspicion that this world wasn't limited to the novel "Unrivaled Descent
from the Mountain to Harm My Senior Sister." After all, the ten-plus heroines he had attracted
into the family were not characters from this novel. This was one of the reasons he temporarily
decided not to kill the protagonist but to squeeze out his remaining value.

His strength was unrivaled in this novel's world, but who knew what other protagonists existed in
the broader picture? There could be returning war heroes, martial arts masters, retired assassins,
and dragon king sons-in-law. Xu Liang wouldn't miss any opportunity to enhance his power, but
if any protagonist posed a genuine threat, he wouldn't hesitate to eliminate them.

Lin Hao was dumbfounded to see Xu Liang wiping Liu Ruolan's mouth, and she accepted it as if
it were an everyday occurrence. The intimate way they behaved left Lin Hao stunned. It was
clear that Liu Ruolan wasn't the least bit embarrassed or blushing; they had been together for
quite some time. There was a 99.9% chance that they had done even more intimate things.

Could it be that Liu Ruolan's morning sickness was real?

His world turned green, a lush field of grass couldn't adequately describe it. Lin Hao was
struggling to accept the truth.

"No, it's not right," he suddenly realized and stared more closely. He soon discovered the clue.
Instead of blushing, Liu Ruolan had turned even paler than before, and her eyes showed a
familiar look of fear.

Swish!

A flash of insight broke through his mind. In that moment, Lin Hao understood everything. The
reason why Liu Ruolan was so compliant was that she was being coerced by Xu Liang.

But what kind of coercion was it? It was undoubtedly the influence of the Xu family. Maybe Liu
Ruolan had something Xu Liang held against her.
Thinking of how Xu Liang had pressured his fiancée to do various things, possibly even carrying
his child, Lin Hao trembled with rage.

[Ding! Lin Hao's mindset shatters, increasing the Villain value by +999]

"Huh?"

Xu Liang raised an eyebrow, expressing surprise in his eyes. Was the protagonist's mindset
exploding just because he saw a little more intimacy between him and the heroine? This
protagonist had a fragile mindset.

Where was he going with this? If he discovered that Liu Ruolan had long since become his
possession, wouldn't he just drop dead on the spot?