As soon as these words were spoken, even Duan Chunshui, who was almost asleep, opened his eyes.

Zhu Zhu stopped drinking her milk, and for the first time, the prodigy’s eyes showed confusion.

Xu Xue was also a little puzzled. “Why did I suddenly feel that the fake-young-master novels I used to love reading now seemed so low-class after Wang De’s comment?”

The most confused of all was Gu Yongsheng. He recognized every word Wang De said, but he couldn’t understand them when put together.

Wang De noticed his confusion and interpreted it as an act. “Stop pretending. I’ve already seen through you.”

“Seen through what?” Gu Yongsheng was even more bewildered, but he quickly regained his composure. 

He sneered at Wang De, who had repeatedly offended him. “What could you possibly see through?”

“Could he tell that I’m not the real son of the Ji family?”

Gu Yongsheng’s protagonist aura was so strong that even a paternity test confirmed him as the real son. Could Wang De possibly see through the illusion? Even if he could, so what? No one would believe him.

Neither the Ji family nor Duan Chunshui would believe it.

He was the protagonist of the novel, carrying the “real young master” halo. How could someone who was obviously a mere cannon fodder side character possibly understand? What qualifications did he have to strut before him?

Gu Yongsheng’s displeasure was now fully visible. Having been the protagonist for so many years, he was used to everyone revolving around him. How could he tolerate the attitude of someone like Wang De?

No longer hiding his contempt, Gu Yongsheng’s disdain and arrogance were clear to see. 

Even Wang De, oblivious as he was, could sense it and grew angry.“What’s the big deal?” He was a protagonist too, and this was his world. He had the home-field advantage. Why should he bow to an outsider?

By his personality and protagonist halo, he should have slapped Gu Yongsheng with a verbal comeback. But looking at Duan Chunshui’s drowsy figure in the front seat and recalling their tactics today, Wang De restrained himself.

He slowly leaned back into his seat and said mockingly, “Yes, yes, what could I possibly see through? You’re Captain Duan’s cousin, and all the Ji family members protect you.”

Gu Yongsheng’s mood finally eased. Seated in the back row with the others, only he managed to exude an air of being at the center of the world.

Facing these ordinary people, his protagonist aura overwhelmed them effortlessly. They had no way to fight back.

Just as Gu Yongsheng was about to pity Wang De and the others, he heard Wang De ask Xu Xue, “Hey, as the female lead in a romance novel, your ‘arrogant CEO falls in love with me’ halo—Ji Chunshan couldn’t resist it, could he?”

Xu Xue looked up in confusion.

“Why is he suddenly…” She quickly understood, paused for a few seconds, and replied, “Yes, my protagonist halo is truly troublesome. You wouldn’t believe it. Ji Chunshan gifted me a private jet, a luxury yacht, and when I broke up with him, he said with red eyes that he could give me the entire Ji family fortune, even his life.”

“Sigh, it’s such a headache,” Xu Xue said with a distressed expression. 

“I don’t even need it. Ji family wealth should stay with Ji family members. Even Ji Madam offered me 50 million yuan to leave her son. I wanted to leave anyway, but he just can’t live without me.”

Gu Yongsheng: “…?”

“Enough about me. I think your protagonist halo is even scarier,” Xu Xue said to Wang De. “Yours probably covers a broader range, right?”

Wang De: “Exactly. My male lead halo not only grants me beauties from campus to the entertainment industry, but also helps me build a business empire. Even if aliens invade, I can slap them in the face. You know how our type of novels eventually go intergalactic.”

Gu Yongsheng: ??????

Wang De continued, “Oh, and did you know? Zhu Zhu has a connection to you. In your ‘CEO romance’ genre, isn’t there a trope about ‘running away with the baby’? Well, she’s the baby—she’s the genius prodigy who returns to China fluent in eight languages and capable of going head-to-head with the CEO.”

Xu Xue immediately turned to Zhu Zhu. “Really?!”

“Not just that—she’s three and a half years old.”

“Oh my god, three and a half!” Xu Xue said excitedly, looking at Zhu Zhu. “An actual three and a half-year-old!”

Wang De proudly added, “She can even project her inner thoughts.”

Xu Xue’s jaw dropped in shock. “But how come I haven’t heard them?”

Zhu Zhu took a sip of her milk and swung her little legs. [We need to keep a low profile. Even in the bureau, I’m not that special.]

Gu Yongsheng: ?????????

Xu Xue clamped a hand over her mouth in excitement. “It’s true, it’s true! She didn’t speak, but I heard her voice!”

“Shh,” Wang De whispered. 

“Zhu Zhu is right—we need to keep a low profile, especially around Captain Duan. You’ve felt how terrifying he is, haven’t you?”

Xu Xue lowered her voice too, as if afraid Duan Chunshui might hear. “I have. No protagonist halo works on him. He’s terrifying.”

Gu Yongsheng: “……”

“That’s not all,” Wang De added in an even quieter tone. 

“Let me tell you a secret—Captain Duan was recently demoted. The reason? He beat up a protagonist. They say his methods are brutal and bloody. If you provoke him, even protagonists from supernatural novels won’t escape unscathed.”

Gu Yongsheng: “…..………..”

When the two cars stopped at the Novel Crisis Management Bureau’s elevator, Xiao Xu and Jiang Nian stepped out of their vehicle. They saw the others exiting the front of Lincoln one by one.

Magically, the once-hostile atmosphere between Xu Xue and Wang De had become much more harmonious.

Gu Yongsheng, however, stumbled as he got out of the car, almost falling over. Dazed, he reached out as if to grab something, only to clutch at thin air. Yet he seemed unaware, still holding the position as if supporting himself.

“……”

“What exactly happened to him?”

Jiang Nian and Xiao Xu walked over to Duan Chunshui and asked casually. Duan Chunshui, who appeared to have napped in the car, now looked a bit refreshed. “Nothing much. Just some ‘harmonious communication’ between the protagonists for a while.”

Xiao Xu glanced at the somewhat calmer protagonists and smiled.“Our Captain was equally adept at handling Type-Three Novel Protagonists as he was with Type-One Protagonists.”

Gu Yongsheng, still dazed, was escorted into an elevator and brought to the registration hall of the Novel Crisis Management Bureau.

Wang De eagerly asked, “Captain, which department should he go to? He’s not a CEO, so he can’t go to the Domineering CEO Department, right?”

Of course, the man couldn’t go there. If they tried to place him in the Domineering CEO Department, even with Duan Chunshui leading the case, the old director would have scolded them. But if it was Jiang Nian who intervened then…