CHAPTER 1
Editor and proofreader: Fherlie Paguio

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In front of a secluded building, two burly men with scars dressed in black whispered to each other.

“I heard the person we’re picking up has been chasing our boss for years, but the boss hasn’t given him the time of day.”

“But our boss has a notorious reputation with countless lovers. Is there someone even he’s not interested in? How ugly must that person be…?”

“Hehe, obviously, they must be horrifically ugly…”

Click—

A faint sound of a door opening interrupted them, as the door was suddenly pushed open.

The two men immediately stopped talking, feeling a bit embarrassed, like they had been caught gossiping behind someone’s back. Nervously, they looked toward the person who had opened the door.

What they saw stunned them.

The person standing there had a tall and slender figure, with skin as pale as someone who hadn’t seen sunlight, but rather than looking lifeless, it gave him an ethereal, scholarly aura. His light amber eyes were like fine gemstones, half-veiled by his long lashes. The slight upward tilt of his eyes was like a hook, tugging at the heart of anyone who saw him.

This was, without a doubt, a stunning beauty.

The stunning beauty wore a scowl, one hand hidden behind his back, and coldly asked, “What are you sneaking around for?”

The two burly men, usually unruly space pirates, suddenly felt a rare sense of unease. If anyone else had spoken to them like this, they would’ve kicked them without a second thought. But now, standing before this person, they felt oddly restrained.

“We’re here to pick up Ye Qingyun,” one of the men said, unconsciously softening his tone.

“I’m Ye Qingyun,” the beautiful man said, frowning, “What do you want?”

The men: “???”

The two exchanged bewildered glances, each seeing the same shock in the other’s eyes.

No way. Was this the person who had been rumored on their ship to be so ugly that people wanted to throw up just from one look?

Before they could respond, Ye Qingyun glanced at the laser guns on their waists and let out a cold laugh, “Coming to find me armed? Interesting.”

The next second, the ground beneath the door suddenly caved in, forming a deep pit. The two men caught off guard, fell in.

As they looked up, they saw the stunning beauty standing above them, giving them a sinister smile. “You can just rot down there,” he said.

They finally noticed what Ye Qingyun had been hiding behind his back—a remote control, clearly controlling the trap they had just fallen into.

As the ground above them began to close, the two men quickly shouted, “Wait! We don’t mean any harm! We were sent by Boss Pu Tian to bring you aboard his ship!”

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingyun’s expression softened. The sinister smile vanished, replaced by joy.

“Is that so?” Ye Qingyun bent down to peer into the pit, his light amber eyes gleaming in the sunlight. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? Sorry about that.”

After pulling them out of the pit, Ye Qingyun dusted off their clothes and gave them a friendly smile.

His face was even more striking up close, and when he smiled, his amber eyes were like warm honey, flowing sweetly into their hearts.

“You’re not mad at me, right?” Ye Qingyun asked. “I live alone, so I have to be extra cautious.”

The two men, still dazed from the beauty in front of them, had already forgotten their earlier fright. Now, they were reflecting on their mistake.

Of course, someone this attractive would have to deal with constant harassment. How thoughtless of them to not notify him in advance and scare him like that!

The men sincerely apologized and invited Ye Qingyun to come with them.

Ye Qingyun smiled, went back inside to pack his things, and then joined them in the car.

As Ye Qingyun watched the scenery speed by outside the window, he appeared calm and happy on the surface, but his palms were sweating from nervousness.

“This was it—the official start of the plot.?”

This world was a cliched, melodramatic “world”, and Ye Qingyun had transmigrated into it years ago as the villainous cannon fodder character who was infatuated with the scumbag protagonist.

The original cannon fodder was a recluse with a strange personality, only interested in his books. But after catching a glimpse of the scumbag protagonist, he became obsessed and started relentlessly pursuing him, sending him daily love letters full of passionate declarations.
The scumbag love interest is the flirtatious leader of a space pirate crew, but he has no interest in clingy types like the cannon fodder character, not even bothering to spare him a glance. Instead, during a raid on a spaceship, he becomes infatuated with the cold and distant protagonist, whose appearance and personality are icy.

The protagonist, however, doesn’t like the scumbag and is very strong, preventing the scumbag from acting as he pleases. After realizing that nothing he does can attract the protagonist’s attention, the scumbag kidnaps the protagonist’s grandmother while the protagonist is distracted, forcing the protagonist to come aboard his ship.

But even after being taken on board, the protagonist remains unyielding, treating the scumbag as if he were invisible and even threatening to blow up the entire pirate ship.

Just when the scumbag is at his wit’s end, he coincidentally notices the protagonist reading a book written by the cannon fodder character. Shocked, he immediately has the cannon fodder brought aboard, ordering him to explain the contents of the book to the protagonist and to say good things about him in front of the protagonist.

The cannon fodder never expected that the scumbag summoned him for this reason, and he was furious, burning with jealousy toward the protagonist.

The protagonist, however, was only casually reading and didn’t care much about the book. Meanwhile, the jealous cannon fodder secretly tried to sabotage the protagonist, causing both the scumbag and the protagonist to grow even more annoyed with him.

Realizing that the cannon fodder had ruined his plans, the scumbag decided that the cannon fodder had outlived his usefulness and, despite the cannon fodder’s desperate pleas, coldly killed him.

That was the entire role Ye Qingyun was playing.

And now, he was on his way to the ship after being summoned by the scumbag.

Ye Qingyun rubbed his forehead, feeling helpless about this ridiculous character.

Suddenly, a robotic voice sounded in his mind: “Good luck, host! Your first official scene is about to begin! Once you’re dead, I’ll give you a new identity so you can move freely, and you’ll get an awesome cheat ability too!”

Ye Qingyun: “Okay.”

The system continued, “Let’s review—your character setting is that you act like a lovesick puppy in front of the scumbag and a jealous villain in front of the protagonist.”
After staring at Ye Qingyun’s face for a while, the system cautiously asked, “Are you really okay with playing these two personalities?”

It wasn’t that the system didn’t trust him; it was just that the host was far too good-looking, completely unlike the unattractive cannon fodder ^[1] they are not considered important by their officers and are sent into war without their leaders worrying if they die from the original novel. With such a face, it was hard to imagine him acting crazily obsessed or showing those two extreme personalities.

Ye Qingyun was silent for a moment before awkwardly smiling. “To be honest, I might have a tiny bit of trouble with it.”

System: “…”

Ye Qingyun encouraged himself, “Don’t worry, I’ve studied hard. I can do this!”

The vehicle was nearing its destination, gradually slowing down.

The burly man driving suddenly spoke up hesitantly, “Do you… love the boss?”

Ye Qingyun was momentarily taken aback but, following his character’s setting, replied, “Of course! No one loves him as much as I do!”

Both men in the front seat looked even more worn out, their faces full of regret and words they couldn’t bring themselves to say.

Ye Qingyun knew what they were thinking. They probably wanted to tell him that the scumbag hadn’t summoned him to give him a chance, but merely to make him talk to the beautiful protagonist the scumbag was infatuated with.

Ye Qingyun didn’t ask further. He noticed the route was getting more and more remote, and soon a massive pirate ship appeared before them.

The ship was enormous, capable of holding hundreds or even thousands of people, and around it were many muscular guards standing watch.

This was their destination—the scumbag’s pirate ship.

Ye Qingyun rolled down all the windows to get a better look at the ship’s full appearance.

Although he had been in this world for years, due to his character’s setting, he had always stayed indoors and never had the chance to see a pirate ship up close. This time, he wanted to take it all in.

The ship was coated in a special material that allowed it to change color depending on its surroundings, creating a visual camouflage. If Ye Qingyun hadn’t known in advance that the ship would be here and hadn’t been carefully observing, he might not have spotted it at first glance.

As Ye Qingyun’s gaze moved over the ship, he noticed many windows open, likely because it was free time. Occasionally, someone would pass by a window, walking quickly.

Satisfied, Ye Qingyun was about to close the window when he saw a figure walk by one of the windows.

The person was holding a book, His posture upright, with a straight back and sharply defined features, as if they had been sculpted. Even though he passed by a nondescript corner, he effortlessly drew attention.

“Wait a minute, the book that person was holding… looked like the one he had written!
Could it be a fan?”

Ye Qingyun froze for a moment then saw the person turn his head to glance outside.

That glance was indifferent as if nothing in this world concerned him, and everything—plants, trees, and birds—was mere fleeting clouds.

Ye Qingyun watched as the person’s gaze shifted downward and met his own.

Immediately, Ye Qingyun flashed a ridiculously awkward smile at his fan. The person, expressionless, glanced at him once more before walking away and disappearing from view.

Ye Qingyun closed the window, cheerfully telling the system, “Did you see that? There’s someone on this ship who reads my book! They have great taste!”

The system remained silent: “…”

Ye Qingyun continued, “That guy was handsome! When I get there, I’m having a drink with him!”

“…You can’t have a drink with him.” The system was on the verge of coughing up blood. “He’s the protagonist! Please keep your distance and play the role of a proper villainous cannon fodder!”

Ye Qingyun: “???”

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Author’s Note: The story has begun. After outlining the entire plot, the story has shifted a bit from the initial synopsis, retaining only about 60% of the original plan. I apologize if anyone finds the changes difficult to accept.