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Cloud City.

Inside the presidential suite of a Five-Star hotel.

"Don't worry, she's out cold and won't wake up anytime soon. Just make it quick," urged a near-perfect beauty, scoring a solid 9 out of 10, to Qin Xiaoliu.

On the bed, a woman who could nearly hit the perfect score lay unconscious. Her fair cheeks were flushed, her breathing slightly rapid, and her brows knitted as if trapped in a nightmare.

It took a moment for the reality to sink in for Qin Xiaoliu.

He had transmigrated!

He found himself in the middle of an urban thriller he had once read.

But he wasn't the protagonist blessed with incredible fortune.

Nor was he the despicable rich second-generation antagonist.

Instead, he was the damn sidekick to a villain!

Qin Xiaoliu!

He inwardly scoffed at his own name, which didn't exactly scream longevity. And true to form, that's exactly how it played out in the original story.

The woman sprawled on the bed was none other than the heroine, Zhou Yingxue.

The woman speaking to Qin Xiaoliu was Zhao Wan'er, Zhou Yingxue's closest friend.

Their goal was to turn the male lead against Zhou Yingxue.

Zhao Wan'er and Qin Xiaoliu's boss had concocted this dark plot.

They intended for him, a mere henchman, to compromise Zhou Yingxue and tarnish her image in the eyes of the male lead.

Their plan was to drive a wedge between her and the male lead.

And to top it off, they planned to record the incident for the boss's viewing pleasure.

Yep, he was definitely on the villain's team, albeit temporarily.

Moreover, Zhao Wan'er wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Despite being a co-conspirator, she was clueless about the identity of their boss!

According to the original story, just when Qin Xiaoliu was on the brink of success, the male lead predictably arrived in the nick of time to rescue Zhou Yingxue.

Despite the male lead's threats and temptations, Qin Xiaoliu remained tight-lipped about the boss.

His loyalty ultimately led to his demise.

He survived for merely two and a half chapters.

And the reason Qin Xiaoliu was chosen for this "noble task" instead of the boss?

Because Qin Xiaoliu's boss was a woman...

"Hey! Are you even listening?" Zhao Wan'er couldn't resist prompting Qin Xiaoliu, who seemed lost in thought.

Qin Xiaoliu gave Zhao Wan'er a quick look.

It's true what they say: you can know a person's face but not their heart.

To think she could do something like this.

Indeed, you have to guard against fire, theft, and even your best friend!

"Enough, beat it. Who are you to tell me what to do?" Qin Xiaoliu urgently needed to come up with a plan.

He certainly didn't want to be written out of the story after just two and a half chapters.

At his words, Zhao Wan'er felt a shiver run through her, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment, "Why so harsh! If you're getting a good deal, just quietly enjoy your luck! Hmph!"

With that, she scurried out of the presidential suite, her legs trembling and her body shaking.

Qin Xiaoliu smirked as he watched her go, recalling that Zhao Wan'er's hidden trait was that of a masochist...

The harsher the scolding, the more thrilled she became.

Sometimes, she'd even plead for a more hands-on approach...

The protagonist had figured out Zhao Wan'er's quirk and had managed to redeem her, making her a part of his harem.

Things certainly got more interesting from there.

Qin Xiaoliu hadn't thought much of it while reading, but witnessing Zhao Wan'er in person, he found it rather amusing.

Just then, Zhou Yingxue on the bed let out a soft moan.

Her body began to writhe, murmuring about the heat...

Her sultry voice was giving Qin Xiaoliu a headache; he needed to tackle this major issue first.

In the original story, Zhou Yingxue was the youngest daughter of the prestigious Zhou family from Cloud City.

A senior in college, she was interning at a small company under the Lin family's umbrella.

She kept her identity a secret until she graduated and took over her family's legacy.

In the novel's early chapters, only the male protagonist knew Zhou Yingxue's true identity.

It was during this time that he flaunted his cool demeanor to win over Zhou Yingxue's affections.

He had turned the entire Zhou family into a tool for the protagonist's vengeance. Now, Qin Xiaoliu was in a bind. First off, he absolutely couldn't go along with the original story and do that to Zhou Yingxue. If he did, he wouldn't last thirty minutes. But to release Zhou Yingxue, he needed a solid excuse to convince his boss.

And his boss, Lih Qingcheng, was a real headache. She was the eldest daughter of Cloud City's prestigious Li family and the CEO of the Li Group. Lih Qingcheng was a master manipulator—intelligent, paranoid, and brutal. She played the saint in front of the leads, while secretly undermining Zhou Yingxue. She'd nearly succeeded in killing the heroine several times.

After the male lead took him out, Lih Qingcheng swiftly disassociated herself and even managed to deceive the leads into believing her innocence. She was undoubtedly one of the early story's most formidable antagonists, although she eventually ended up as part of the male lead's harem—a development that made Qin Xiaoliu's skin crawl.

Lih Qingcheng was written to be madly in love with the male lead. When her plans against Zhou Yingxue kept failing, she had no choice but to target the male lead, aiming to seduce him. What disgusted Qin Xiaoliu was the male lead's feigned ignorance, basking in the situation, and then playing innocent in front of the heroine. Meanwhile, Lih Qingcheng reveled in her supposed triumph...

Damn it. That author really knew how to spin a yarn.

The real problem was if Lih Qingcheng discovered he intentionally let Zhou Yingxue escape. She'd have him thrown to the dogs without a second thought. At that moment, Zhou Yingxue began to grow agitated, her hands flailing wildly. That's when it hit Qin Xiaoliu—he knew Zhou Yingxue's true identity, something even Lih Qingcheng was oblivious to. It was convoluted, sure, but it was his ace in the hole!

Without a moment's hesitation, Qin Xiaoliu scooped up Zhou Yingxue and headed for the bathroom, where he filled the bathtub with cold water. As Zhou Yingxue reached out for an embrace, he gently but firmly pressed her into the chilly bath!

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