The villain was actually a hopeless romantic

Zheng Ye woke up.

After lying unconscious for three years, he suddenly woke up for no apparent reason.

No one knew who leaked the news, but within five minutes, it was trending.

One refresh later, it shot to the top spot, its text dark red with an #Explosive tag beside it.

Ning Shile sat in the living room, watching Butler and the servants descend into chaos.

It was eleven at night. One call from Zheng Father, and the private doctor answered immediately and arrived in less than five minutes.

Ning Shile's eyes lit up at the sight of the doctor rushing in wearing a white coat. He marveled that this really was a staple of domineering CEO novels! Could he make that call next time?

Speaking of domineering CEO novel staples, would Zheng Ye also wake up after three years in a vegetative state able to walk perfectly fine, complete with abs, defined obliques, and a V-line?

[Then again, now that Zheng Ye's awake, I probably won't be getting married, right?]

Ning Shile touched the bank card in his pocket and gazed forlornly toward the second floor.

[Do I have to give the money back, too?]

Ning Shile's voice passed through the walls and reached Zheng Ye's ears again, making his brow twitch.

"So we're the only ones who can hear his voice?" After three years unconscious, Zheng Ye's eyes couldn't adjust to bright light. The only illumination in the dark room spilled in through the window.

In that pool of light, a man in a black shirt sat on the bed.

One arm was exposed as he let the doctor insert a needle beneath his skin and draw blood.

Zheng Father and Zheng Mother nodded.

From what they could tell, that was the case.

"And you think he's giving spoilers?" Zheng Ye's brows lowered, as though he were struggling to suppress something.

Finally, he lifted his eyes to Zheng Father and Zheng Mother. "Absurd."

"I won't enter a contract marriage with him."

Zheng Father and Zheng Mother wanted to keep persuading him, but Zheng Ye clearly didn't believe a word of it.

For heaven's sake, how was this brat even more old-fashioned than they were?!

Couldn't someone come talk some sense into him?

[Come to think of it, Zheng Ye's kind of pitiful, too.]

At the sound of Ning Shile's voice, Zheng Father and Zheng Mother immediately perked up.

Here he came, here he came, bringing the gossip with him!

[I think a friend called to check on Zheng Ye right after he woke up.]

Hearing this, Zheng Father and Zheng Mother immediately looked at Zheng Ye. He met their expectant gazes with some resignation.

He took his phone from the cabinet, plugged it in, and switched it on.

The screen lit up. The home screen was completely clear, without a single call notification.

Just as he'd said. How could there possibly be any spoilers?

Zheng Ye gave a soft laugh and glanced calmly at Zheng Father and Zheng Mother.

They completely ignored his expression, staring fixedly at the phone screen.

Calm down. No matter how hard they stared—

Bzz, bzz.

The phone suddenly rang. Zheng Ye's expression shifted slightly as he looked at the screen—Li Hang.

Li Hang was indeed one of Zheng Ye's few friends.

?

Zheng Ye raised an eyebrow.

Interesting.

[What was he calling about again?]

Ning Shile's voice sounded again. He pondered for a while. [Oh, oh, oh, I remember! He wanted to borrow money!]

[Tsk, tsk, this villain really isn't popular!]

[He finally wakes up after three years, and only one friend calls to check on him—and even that's just to borrow money! Tsk, even a dog would shake its head!]

Zheng Father and Zheng Mother looked at their son with tender sympathy.

Zheng Ye remained perfectly composed, not the least bit upset by those words.

He really wasn't popular. He didn't even have a friend he could confide in. But that didn't matter to him. Every relationship required maintenance, friendships included. He had neither the time nor the energy, and he preferred being alone.

It was simply a personal choice. There was no need to pity him.

Still, Ning Shile's words had piqued Zheng Ye's interest. He wanted to see whether the caller really was after a loan.

Zheng Ye swiped the screen and turned on speakerphone. "Hello?"

"Brother Ye! You really woke up!"

Li Hang sounded almost tearful, his genuine joy infectious. "Holy shit, I thought the trending post was fake!"

Zheng Ye lowered his eyes. "Mm."

"Brother Ye, we've missed you so much!" the voice on the other end said. "Let's all get together when you have time!"

"Sure," Zheng Ye said. "Did you need something?"

"No, I just saw you were awake and called to check. I thought those clickbait accounts were making stuff up again!" Li Hang sounded perfectly open, as though he wasn't hiding anything.

Zheng Ye glanced at Zheng Father and Zheng Mother, lifting his brows slightly, as if to say, See? He isn't here to borrow money. No one can actually give spoilers.

Zheng Father and Zheng Mother exchanged a glance. Could it be... wrong this time?

Before either could speak, the voice on the other end turned jovial. "Brother Ye, you know my parents don't really approve of me and my girlfriend."

"They froze my bank cards, and my girlfriend wasn't happy. Now she's threatening to break up with me," Li Hang ventured cautiously. "Do you think you could lend me some money?"

[I remember he even used his girlfriend as an excuse to borrow money!]

As though he could hear their conversation, Ning Shile started chattering away.

[And that sucker Zheng Ye actually believed him, lending him a million in total! More money than sense!]

Zheng Ye: "..."

[Turns out he was just making a bet with his friends, using Zheng Ye as the wager! Hahaha!]

Zheng Father and Zheng Mother looked at Zheng Ye. They'd never imagined their son, who looked practically frigid, had such a gullible side.

Zheng Ye: "..."

[Just as I thought, all villains start out as hopeless romantics. They only become sad little boys after the people around them abandon, torment, and trample all over them.]

Zheng Father and Zheng Mother understood. So their son was a hopeless romantic.

Zheng Ye: "..."

Right on cue, Ning Shile began singing. [A shattered heart is like shards of glass~!]

[Love's purity can never be restored~]

His awful singing left them speechless.

The cutting lyrics made it hurt even more.

Why could his inner voice carry a tune—and even change volume?

A crack finally appeared in Zheng Ye's composure. He felt bullied, yet he had no way to bully him back. Something seemed lodged in his chest, until it finally emerged as a cold laugh. "Come up with a better excuse next time."

"And find someone else to bet on." Then he hung up, blocked him, and deleted him in one smooth sequence.

Li Hang froze at those words, as did everyone who had been egging him on.

How did Zheng Ye know?!

The noisy private room fell silent in an instant. At that moment, even their drunken haze seemed to clear considerably. No one present could afford to offend the Zheng Family. Whether in power or resources, the Zheng Family could toy with them until they went bankrupt.

Zheng Ye's tone over the phone had been flat, betraying no emotion. Yet everyone felt a lingering fear and began blaming Li Hang. "What the hell is wrong with you? You said you knew Zheng Ye! Great, now if we've offended the Zheng Family, we're all dead!"

"Excuse me? You were the ones who told me to call!" Li Hang immediately exploded. They were the ones who'd seen the trending post and urged him to make the call. Why were they blaming him now?

If Zheng Ye really got angry and cut off his family's income, his parents would beat him to death!

"What do you mean, us? You said Zheng Ye had no friends and thought you were important! And what happened? He hung up on you!"

"Exactly. You could've used anyone to show off, but you had to pick Zheng Ye?"

"Your parents are right, Li Hang. You can't do anything right!"

Li Hang's face flushed with anger, but he had no idea how to explain.

He hadn't lied. Zheng Ye really wasn't popular. He was cold and taciturn, and plenty of people disliked him. Li Hang had been his classmate through middle and high school, a six-year friendship that made him one of the few friends in Zheng Ye's social circle.

Zheng Ye had helped clean up plenty of Li Hang's messes before. Whether it involved money or his family, Zheng Ye always helped when he could. Even the car accident three years ago had happened because Li Hang was pleading with him in the car, and Zheng Ye swerved to avoid a pedestrian and hit a tree.

But why had things turned out like this today?

What had gotten into Zheng Ye?

After turning it over in his mind, Li Hang decided to use his usual trick.

He opened Zheng Ye's WeChat chat and typed:

[Brother Ye, I treated you sincerely, and this is how you treat me? Do you not consider me a friend anymore? No wonder everyone says you're heartless. I finally see you for who you are!]

Finished. Send!

Li Hang exhaled in relief. Those words were Zheng Ye's greatest weakness. Every time he brought them out, Zheng Ye would back down.

After all, no one could really live without friends, right?

But this time, more than ten minutes passed without a response. Li Hang was puzzled.

What was going on? Had he not read the message?

He checked the chat window on his phone, and an unpleasant suspicion immediately arose.

Then Li Hang tentatively sent Zheng Ye a question mark. The screen flashed, and a red exclamation mark appeared!

He'd been... deleted?

Li Hang went deathly pale and sat frozen on the sofa.

It was over. This time, it was really over...

Meanwhile, Ning Shile was still saying goodbye to his precious money, kissing the black card he'd held for only a few hours over and over.

Cardie, Daddy really loves you.

Ten million, Daddy really needs you.

Baby, I can't even imagine how happy I'd be if we could live together!

But fate had other plans, and things never go as expected...

Your real mommy and daddy are going to take you back soon. Be good, my precious money. I'll always remember the wonderful time we shared!

After confirming that there was nothing seriously wrong with Zheng Ye's health, Zheng Father and Zheng Mother left his room and headed downstairs in perfect sync to find Ning Shile.

Ning Shile stood up, utterly heartbroken, ready to return the money.

To his surprise, the moment Zheng Mother saw Ning Shile, she pressed another card into his hand.

Ning Shile's eyebrows shot up as he looked at Zheng Mother in astonishment. "What's this?"

Zheng Mother smiled. "A reward for you."

[Holy crap!]

[Is this how rich families drop loot?!]

Seeing Ning Shile's delighted yet restrained expression, Zheng Mother held back a laugh and took his hand. "All right, it's getting late. Stay here tonight."

The Butler stepped forward at her words. "I've already prepared the guest room. And your outfit for tomorrow is ready as well, madam."

"My outfit?" Zheng Mother asked, puzzled.

"The Cheng Family's launch event will be held at ten tomorrow morning. The invitation arrived the day before yesterday," the Butler reminded her.

Zheng Mother thought for a moment. This event was to celebrate the launch of the Cheng Family's project. It wasn't particularly important; she could take it or leave it. Tired after a busy day, she said, "Then help me—"

[Wait! The Cheng Family's launch event?!]

Ning Shile's eyes went round as he shouted inwardly.

[Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! Could this be that scene?!]

Zheng Mother promptly fell silent.

What? What?

Which scene? Which scene?

[The ultimate scandal where that scumbag father and the secretary he's cheating with get torn apart, and the Cheng father gets exposed for emotional manipulation, domestic abuse, plotting murder for money, and having two illegitimate kids?!!!]

[Aaaaaah, help!! I want to go, too!!!!]

"Shall I decline for you, madam?" Seeing Zheng Mother abruptly stop, Butler took the initiative to ask.

"No." Zheng Mother waved her hand, suppressing her excitement as she said evenly, "Have everything ready. I'll be there on time tomorrow."

Emotional manipulation and murder for money?

How could she possibly miss something like that?

Then Zheng Mother considerately took Ning Shile's hand. "Would you like to come along, Shile?"

Huh!????

[A tidal wave of juicy gossip is coming my way?!]

Ning Shile immediately nodded in excitement, his eyes sparkling. "Can I?"

"You can." Zheng Mother nodded.

"Then I'm going!" Ning Shile nodded at once.