I Am Actually the Main Villain in the Novel

The Lu family wasn’t exactly a prestigious clan.

The family head, Lu Jingnan, was a left assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, barely squeezing into the imperial court.

If he were to be placed in a local government, he would be considered a high-ranking official.

However, in the capital city where officials wore purple robes, his third-rank official title wasn’t very impressive.

Not to mention when compared to Wei Xianzhi, who almost had a grasp on all the officials’ “black materials”.

Nevertheless, the Lu family wasn’t entirely unknown, mainly due to Lu Jingnan having a daughter, Lu Jingyao, who was “well-versed in music and poetry, elegant and refined, captivating the hearts of all who saw her”.

These were the original words from the book.

The person being referred to was, of course, Lu Jingyao.

As for why this talented young lady would develop feelings for Xiang Feng, a commoner, wasn’t important.

In any case, in this novel, all the women would lose their minds upon seeing the protagonist and couldn’t wait to throw themselves at him.

Lu Jingyao was no exception.

If things developed normally, she should have been snatched away by Xiang Feng tomorrow, then severed ties with the Lu family, eventually becoming Xiang Feng’s virtuous wife and living happily with a group of “sisters”.

It sounded quite pleasant, but Wei Changtian was about to intervene.

After all, Lu Jingyao was still a female lead with a significant amount of screen time in the book.

As long as he could capture her, making her follow him wholeheartedly…

Tsk, tsk, tsk, the system points would definitely be substantial.

……

The curtains slowly opened.

Lu Jingyao, wearing only a thin silk robe, lay motionless on the bed, her skin as fragile as jade, her face streaked with tears.

She stared straight at Wei Changtian, her eyes filled with resentment, disgust, fear, and despair, but without a hint of goodwill.

To be fair, Wei Changtian was actually quite handsome, as the author had stated – among the top ten most handsome men, the reader occupied eight spots, Wei occupied one, and the rest of the world shared one.

However, unlike the reader, who was talented and handsome, Wei’s facial advantages couldn’t conceal the fact that he was a cruel, psychologically twisted, and useless person.

No woman would genuinely like such a man.

Especially Lu Jingyao, who had some artistic accomplishments, couldn’t accept him at all.

After all, artistic young women like her had a touch of idealism.

The thought of this “trash” soon lying naked on top of her, breathing disgusting air, and moving his body like a worm… Lu Jingyao felt extremely nauseated and wished she could bite her tongue off on the spot.

But unfortunately, she couldn’t do so.

Well, she might as well use her body, which she had originally intended to give to Xiang Feng, to exchange for the lives of the entire Lu family…

The last teardrop fell from her beautiful eyes, and Lu Jingyao slowly closed them, not wanting to see what would happen next.

This was her last shred of dignity.

However, in the next moment, Wei Changtian suddenly spoke in a tone she least expected, saying something she least expected to hear.

“Don’t worry, as long as you’re not willing, I won’t touch you.”

……

From Wei Changtian’s perspective, he could indeed capture Lu Jingyao at this moment.

However, if it went on like this, he would only be able to get her body, and it was likely that in the future, this woman who was full of Xiao Feng’s thoughts would eventually die with a clear conscience.

So, complete conquest was the best strategy.

Although it was a bit difficult, it was worth trying for the sake of earning more system points.

Noticing Lu Jingyao’s eyelids twitching slightly, Wei Changtian continued in a deep voice:

“I may have done bad things, but I never go back on my word.”

“I came to find you tonight because I have some things I want to discuss with you.”

“If you’re willing, open your eyes, and I’ll immediately help you relieve the acupoints.”

“If you still don’t open your eyes after five breaths, I’ll turn around and leave.”

“……”

The evening wind squeezed through the window gap, blowing gently, and the silk curtains swayed lightly.

Wei Changtian didn’t say another word, his breathing steady and natural.

On the other hand, Lu Jingyao’s chest was heaving violently.

One, two, three…

Finally, when she counted to the fourth breath, she seemed to muster up all her courage and opened her eyes. Although her gaze still held disdain, there was a hint of curiosity in it compared to before.

Without wasting any words, Wei Changtian reached out and pressed on her wind, sky, and jade pillow acupoints.

His inner energy flowed through his fingertips into the acupoints, and her body’s blood flow was restored.

“Ah~”

The sudden numbness made Lu Jingyao let out an uncontrollable moan, and then she quickly closed her eyes again.

In the midst of shame and anger, her senses gradually returned to her hands and feet, and her brain regained control of her body.

In an instant, she sat up from the bed like a startled rabbit, “thud”.

Her smooth, fair legs were tightly closed, and her white, lotus-like arms were wrapped tightly around her chest.

Lu Jingyao curled up into a ball, her eyes fixed on the bed, but the next second, she suddenly froze.

Because Wei Changtian’s figure was nowhere to be seen around her.

The yellow silk curtains had completely covered the bed, and her clothes were neatly folded on the bedside table.

“……”

She stared blankly, her eyes wide open, and after a long time, she finally let out a soft “humph”.

“Phoo!”

……

Outside the screen, in the main hall, the two sat facing each other at a small table.

Lu Jingyao looked at Wei Changtian, who was calmly drinking tea across from her, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to say. It took her a long time to coldly snort and ask:

“You unblocked my acupoints, aren’t you afraid I’ll seek death?”

“Seek death?”

Wei Changtian laughed: “If you really wanted to die, you had plenty of opportunities before. Why wait until today?”

“You!”

Lu Jingyao’s body trembled, and she suddenly pulled out a jade hairpin from her sleeve, its pointed tip pressed against her neck.

“I’m not afraid! Before…”

“Heh heh.”

A disdainful laugh interrupted her argument, and Wei Changtian didn’t even lift his head, only pointing to the empty teacup in front of him and coldly uttering two words.

“Pour tea.”

“……”

The air in the room suddenly froze, and Lu Jingyao’s eyes widened, her face slowly turning pale.

Wei Changtian, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be in a hurry, simply lowering his head to wait.

It wasn’t until the jade hairpin fell to the ground, breaking into two pieces, and the light brown tea spilled into the teacup, that he nodded slightly.

“Thank you.”

“Clang!”

The small purple clay teapot suddenly crashed onto the table, and Lu Jingyao’s disbelieving expression was even more pronounced than before.

It was clear that in her understanding, the man in front of her shouldn’t be saying those two words.

“You, how…?”

“How can you be different from before? Is that it?”

Wei Changtian straightened the teapot, speaking calmly: “What you see might just be what others want you to see.”

“…”

Lu Jingyao was stunned for a moment.

Without a doubt, this sentence had given her a huge shock.

Countless questions flooded her mind, but Wei Changtian didn’t give her another chance to ask, instead steering the conversation back on track.

“Let’s not talk about me. Let’s talk about our marriage instead.”

“I know you’re not only unwilling to marry me but also quite disgusted with me.”

“So, I came to find you today to give you another choice.”

“A choice……”

Lu Jingyao suddenly looked over, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

She had never thought that Wei Changtian would give her a chance to choose.

“Yes, you have a choice.”

Wei Changtian seemed to have guessed her thoughts, looking straight at Lu Jingyao’s slightly flickering eyes, continuing:

“Tomorrow morning, I can go to my father to cancel this marriage, and I’ll try to persuade him not to bother the Lu family.”

“But ultimately, I can’t promise you what he’ll do.”

“If you want to protect the Lu family’s interests, then don’t struggle in vain. Just cooperate with the wedding tomorrow.”

“As for what you want to do later, I won’t force you. Just stay in the Wei family for half a year.”

“During this time, we can have a nominal marriage without the actual relationship.”

“After half a year, if you still want to leave, I won’t stop you.”

“This can also be considered a decent explanation to both families.”

“I’ve said all I need to say. Whether we get married or not, you think it over carefully.”

Wei Changtian finished speaking and lowered his head to drink his tea, while Lu Jingyao sank into a long silence, her face constantly revealing her struggles.

After a long time, she finally lifted her head, asking in a small voice: “What about Xiao Feng? What do I need to do for you to spare him?”

Xiao Feng?

Good grief!

Still thinking about the idol at a time like this?

Really, it’s a lost cause!

Wei Changtian understood that Lu Jingyao was asking this because she thought Xiao Feng couldn’t defeat him, so she wanted to use this method to save her “beloved” life.

Ha ha, keep dreaming.

Narrowing his eyes, Wei Changtian answered without hesitation: “He must die.”

“Wh-what……”

Lu Jingyao’s face, which had finally regained some color, turned pale again.

She leaned forward, her hands clenched tightly around a handkerchief, her stuttering words devoid of any hint of arrogance.

“P-please spare Xiao Feng……”

“I-I’ll marry you! I’ll do my best to be a good wife! I won’t disobey you again in the future……”

“I-I’ve never had any physical contact with Xiao Feng……”

“I said he must die.”

Wei Changtian’s deep voice cut off Lu Jingyao’s pleas.

Hearing his fiancée beg for another man, his tone remained calm, without any anger, simply stating, “You have no third choice.”

“……”

Lu Jingyao’s lips snapped shut, and tears the size of pearls fell onto the handkerchief, landing on a line of small characters embroidered on it.

Wei Changtian glanced at it casually, his gaze lingering for a moment.

You won’t betray me, and I won’t betray you.

“This phrase……”

He retracted his gaze, asking knowingly, “Did Xiao Feng say it?”

“……”

Lu Jingyao clenched the handkerchief tightly, biting her lip, her head bowed in silence.

Wei Changtian suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for this girl.

In the novel, although Xiao Feng eventually took her in, in reality, he didn’t care much about her at first.

Even the forced marriage tomorrow was just an unexpected event, not part of Xiao Feng’s original plan.

So, in the end, she was just like himself, a tool for the protagonist to show off, nothing more.

“Sigh……”

With a soft sigh, Wei Changtian didn’t say anything more, stood up, and turned to leave.

Perhaps it was a sudden impulse, but as he walked, he recited a poem that anyone who had received nine years of compulsory education would know.

“I once vowed to give my heart to the bright moon, but alas, the moon shines over the gutter.”

Wei Changtian’s voice was not loud, but it was clear and audible.

When the poem reached Lu Jingyao’s ears, her tears, like a beaded curtain, suddenly stopped.

She raised her head, her eyes fixed on Wei Changtian’s back, her expression a mix of confusion, astonishment, and numbness.

There was also a contradictory yet simultaneous sense of excitement and sorrow.

“I once vowed to give my heart to the bright moon, but alas, the moon shines over the gutter……”

She unconsciously repeated the phrase several times, but when she looked up, the person who had spoken it was already gone.

Who was the bright moon? Who was the gutter?

Outside the window, the real moon hung high in the night sky, and the entire Wei mansion was quiet, with only the sound of footsteps fading into the distance.

Lu Jingyao suddenly felt an inexplicable, unprecedented emotion towards Wei Changtian, aside from disgust and fear.

It was a human’s innate curiosity towards mysterious things.

……Why was it so different from the rumors?

……Who was the real him?