I, the Villain, Accidentally Killed the Fated Protagonist

Chapter 3:

In the original novel that Zhang Chen had created, the main plot was still about 30 days from starting. According to that timeline, the first female lead, Xing Lingyun—once a high-ranking member of the Ten Halls of Demon Slayer—would be hunted down by her former comrades. Severely injured, her strength would drop to a lethal level.

Despite how powerful the “lethal level” was among demons, it was nothing compared to what Xing Lingyun once represented as one of the Ten Yama Halls of Demon Slayer. She was originally a nightmare-level existence, and her current state only reflected how weakened she’d become.

At this point in the original novel, the protagonist, Ye Fan, encountered Xing Lingyun by chance when she was on the brink of death. Using a powerful ancestral bronze mirror, he saved her life and helped her evade the Demon Slayer’s relentless pursuit. This act forged an unbreakable bond between them.

Zhang Chen knew Ye Fan’s plot inside out—he’d created it, after all. But, then novel was never published; only a rough draft existed.

“A little help when you’re desperate means more than a lot of help when things are easy.” Zhang Chen mused with a small smile.

“Now, Xing Lingyun is in her most desperate state. Demon Slayer will stop at nothing to eliminate their traitor,” he thought, recognizing the opportunity. People never forget the ones who save them when they’re at their lowest. Even though Xing Lingyun had fallen and become a demon, she wasn’t mindless.

As a former human, she had once been Demon Slayer’s most powerful Yama. Even in her current state, she retained her memories and consciousness.

“Xing Lingyun still has a heart. Otherwise, it would take at least two or more Yama working together to even scratch her.” Zhang Chen murmured.

Hearing the butler’s report confirmed his thoughts. This was the perfect time to act. He could intervene and reach Xing Lingyun before Ye Fan did, establishing a connection with her first.

“Uncle Liu, have people keep a close watch on the area and report any unusual activity,” Zhang Chen instructed. His eyes narrowed as he continued, “And make sure to keep an eye out for a lone, beautiful woman in the north side of the city.”

Though the butler found this request strange, he didn’t question it. He noticed that Zhang Chen seemed different lately—less gloomy and no longer prone to sudden outbursts.

“Understood, Young Master. I’ll make the arrangements.” The butler nodded.

“Remember, if you find a woman matching my description, don’t approach her. Just report back to me.”

Zhang Chen was eager to locate Xing Lingyun.

Although the novel had yet to officially begin, he wasn’t sure if she was already in Jiangdong Province or not. In the novel, she simply appeared at the start, so he was operating about a month ahead of schedule. If she was in Jiangdong Province, where could she be hiding?

Without Uncle Liu’s information from the Demon Slayer section in Jiangdong Province, he wouldn’t have even been sure about her arrival. But recent reports of injured operatives suggested otherwise.

To Zhang Chen’s staff, the task seemed simple enough—just find a beautiful woman. The butler, Uncle Liu, assumed his young master was merely searching for new interests, perhaps finally letting go of his obsession with Miss Lin Xi.

Lin Xi, the eldest daughter of the Lin family in Jiangdong, was also Zhang Chen’s fiancée.

…

In the meantime, Lin Xi herself was feeling restless, though she couldn’t explain why.

It felt like something was missing in her life.

At tjis moment, she was at the Lin Group headquarters, staring out the window, lost in thought.

“Xiao Xi, are you upset with Zhang Chen?” a beautiful woman, who looked no older than 27 or 28, asked, noticing her daughter’s distraction.

“What?” Lin Xi snapped out of her daze, her expression becoming slightly defensive. “Why would I be upset with him?”

The woman was Lin Xi’s mother, Xia Yanbing, who also happened to be the CEO of the Lin Group. With her youthful appearance, many mistook the two for sisters.

Xia Yanbing sighed, shaking her head. “You’re always so headstrong. Zhang Chen may have his flaws, but he cares about you.”

“Mom, I don’t want to talk about him!” Lin Xi replied, irritation creeping into her tone.

Xia Yanbing persisted, “I haven’t seen him come around recently. Did you do something to drive him away again? You’ve been like this since you were a child. Don’t think I don’t know how you feel.”

Lin Xi bit her lip, feeling slightly aggrieved. She had been angry with Zhang Chen and had even hired someone to pose as her boyfriend, hoping it would prompt his family to break off the engagement. Her intentions were only to get the Zhang family to end things.

“If he stays away, that’s fine by me! I get some peace.” She pouted.

Xia Yanbing could see that her daughter was conflicted but chose not to push further. She knew that although outsiders believed the Lin family to be wealthy and powerful, their situation was quite different. Behind their public image, the Lin family struggled to maintain their reputation.

Because of this, the elders were desperate for outside support. When the Zhang family’s heir, Zhang Chen, showed interest in Lin Xi, they were thrilled, quickly arranging the engagement between the two powerful families.

But Lin Xi, with her strong-willed nature, was openly resistant to the match.

Xia Yanbing sighed, feeling unable to share the full truth with her daughter. Lin Xi, raised with love and comfort, was unaware of the family’s deeper struggles. She didn’t know that, to the Lin family elders, she was merely a tool for survival.

“Mom, I don’t want to marry him! Zhang Chen is cold and heartless. He’s not a good person!” Lin Xi complained.

Xia Yanbing shook her head. “Zhang Chen may have his faults, but that boy Ye Fan isn’t much better.”

Hearing this, Lin Xi grew stubborn.

Although she didn’t particularly like Ye Fan—he was simply someone she hired to play the part of a fake boyfriend—she appreciated his help and found him kind.

“Mom, you don’t even know him!” she protested.

“Silly girl, you can’t judge people just by appearances,” Xia Yanbing replied, knowing her daughter’s stubbornness.

“Anyway, I’ll never like Zhang Chen! I won’t marry him!” Lin Xi insisted, though she couldn’t deny feeling a strange unease. He hadn’t bothered her lately, and she was finding the absence unsettling.

“Ridiculous,” she thought, scolding herself. There was no way she missed his attention.

Watching her daughter, Xia Yanbing couldn’t help but smile. She understood Lin Xi’s feelings better than her daughter realized. And with the company’s growing issues, Xia Yanbing was preoccupied.

At this very moment, Zhang Chen—the “cold and heartless” man Lin Xi spoke of—was seated in the office of the director at Jiangdong’s largest hospital.

…

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