The wind screamed across the rooftop of the 99-story Starfall Skyscraper, whipping Lin Feng's black hair across his eyes. Below him, the city of Zhonghai stretched out like a sea of neon lights—a playground for the rich, the powerful, and the doomed. In the distance, the Huangpu River shimmered like a silver dragon, indifferent to the life-and-death drama about to unfold on this concrete altar.
Lin Feng adjusted his $50,000 silk tie, his fingers steady despite the chaos. He checked his reflection in the glass door of the rooftop mechanical room. He looked perfect. He had the arrogant, half-lidded eyes of a man who had never been told "no" in his life. He looked exactly like what he was: a Villainous Young Master destined to be a stepping stone for the Protagonist.
Finally, Lin Feng thought, a sense of weary relief washing over him. World number 1,000. The grand finale. After this, I can finally stop wearing these stiff suits and pretending to enjoy expensive wine that tastes like fermented socks.
Lin Feng was a professional Transmigrator. For 999 lives, he had played the role of the arrogant bully, the corrupt prince, and the greedy CEO. He had been slapped by "Gods of War," stabbed by "Heavenly Maidens," and executed by "Reborn Emperors" more times than he could count. This time, his role was the simplest one yet: Kidnap the "Ice-Cold CEO" Su Qingxue, threaten the "Soldier King" Ye Chen, and get thrown off the building by a protagonist's righteous kick.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: MISSION COUNTDOWN — 00:05:00] [OBJECTIVE: Be defeated and kicked off the roof by the Protagonist, Ye Chen.] [REWARD: 10,000,000 Cosmic Credits & Instant Retirement to a Private Island in the Void.]
Ten million credits, Lin Feng mused. I could buy a galaxy with that. Or at least a beach where the sun never sets and there are zero 'Systems' telling me who to kidnap.
"Mmph! Mmmph!"
Lin Feng turned around, shaking off his internal monologue. Tied to a heavy mahogany chair was Su Qingxue, the most beautiful woman in Zhonghai and the CEO of the Starfall Group. Her skin was like white jade, her eyes cold enough to freeze fire. Even with a silk gag in her mouth and her hands bound, she radiated an aura of untouchable authority that would make most men kneel in shame.
Lin Feng walked over, his leather shoes clicking rhythmically against the concrete. He leaned down until his face was inches from hers, inhaling the scent of cold jasmine and expensive perfume. He forced his voice to sound raspy, arrogant, and just the right amount of "scum-like."
"Don't bother struggling, President Su. In this city, my Lin family is the sky. Your 'Starfall Group' is nothing but a snack for my father's conglomerate. Tonight, you're the bait. Once I kill your little 'protector' Ye Chen, I'll make sure you sign the transfer papers. And then... maybe I'll let you be my personal maid. I've always wanted a CEO to pour my tea."
Internal Lin Feng was screaming: I am so incredibly sorry, President Su! You're actually a brilliant leader and your latest quarterly earnings report was flawless! Please don't hate me! I'm doing this for a retirement fund!
[DING! VILLAINOUS AURA +100. PLOT SYNCHRONIZATION: 99.5%.]
BOOM!
The heavy steel rooftop doors didn't just open; they were kicked off their hinges with enough force to dent the brickwork.
A young man in a worn-out military jacket stepped through the smoke. His presence was like a mountain—heavy, suffocating, and radiating a murderous intent that made the air temperature drop by ten degrees. This was Ye Chen—the "Soldier King" who had spent five years in the secret "God of War" camp at the border. He was the Protagonist, the man with the "Invinicible Soldier" System, and currently, the man who wanted Lin Feng's head on a platter.
"Lin Feng!" Ye Chen's voice was like a clap of thunder. "Release her now, and I might only break every bone in your body. Touch one hair on her head, and I will erase the Lin family name from the history books!"
Lin Feng felt a surge of genuine joy. Yes! Look at that killing intent! That's the protagonist energy I've been waiting for! Give me the kick! Do it now!
Lin Feng pulled a gold-plated Desert Eagle from his pocket. He held it with a "shaking" hand, making sure to look like a desperate coward who relied on high-caliber weapons because he lacked real backbone.
"Stay back, Ye Chen!" Lin Feng screamed, his voice cracking perfectly on the high notes. "One more step and she's dead! Do you see these red lights pulsing around the perimeter? I've planted enough C4 under this roof to turn this entire district into a crater! If I don't get what I want, we all go to hell together! I'll turn this skyscraper into a giant tombstone!"
In reality, Lin Feng had spent three hours the previous night meticulously installing high-end wedding fireworks and industrial party poppers that he had modified to look like military-grade explosives. The System had assured him they would be "visually indistinguishable" until they were actually triggered.
"You're insane," Su Qingxue's muffled voice came through the gag. Her eyes weren't full of fear, though. She was staring intensely at the red lights, her sharp mind calculating the odds.
"Die, you scum!" Ye Chen didn't wait for negotiations. He moved like a blur, his speed breaking the sound barrier.
Lin Feng saw it coming in slow motion. The "Ultimate Kick." According to the script, Ye Chen would use his signature Seven-Star Dragon Kick to send Lin Feng flying over the ledge, where he would plummet to his "death" (and his retirement).
Here it comes! Goodbye, cruel world! Goodbye, annoying plotlines! Hello, sandy beaches and zero responsibilities!
Lin Feng turned his back to the 99-story drop, positioning himself like a professional stuntman. He even puffed out his chest a little to make it an easier target for the hero's boot.
But at that exact microsecond, the True Villain of the world appeared.
Hidden in the shadows of a massive water tank, a professional sniper from the 'Shadow Web'—hired by Lin Feng's own jealous second uncle to liquidate both the CEO and the Young Master to seize the family fortune—pulled his trigger.
Pft.
The bullet, silenced and deadly, was aimed directly at Su Qingxue's heart.
Lin Feng's "Villain Body," honed over 999 lives of surviving assassination attempts, reacted before his conscious mind could even process the threat. His eyes caught the glint of the moonlight on the sniper's lens.
If Su Qingxue dies now, the plot collapses! The world will reset, the System will glitch, and I'll be stuck in a 'Time Loop' for another hundred years! NO!
"NOT ON MY WATCH!" Lin Feng roared.
Instead of taking Ye Chen's kick to the chest, Lin Feng twisted his body mid-air with the grace of a falling cat. To the outside observer, it looked like he was lunging at the CEO for one last act of cruelty. In reality, he was trying to use his own body as a human shield.
CRUNCH.
Ye Chen's kick landed squarely on Lin Feng's shoulder, but because Lin Feng had twisted, the force didn't push him off the roof. It spun him around like a top.
Ting!
The sniper's bullet struck the gold-plated pistol in Lin Feng's hand just as he threw his arm out. The bullet ricocheted off the metal, sparks flying, and grazed Lin Feng's bicep instead of piercing Su Qingxue's chest.
Lin Feng crashed into Su Qingxue, his weight knocking her chair over. He landed on top of her, shielding her with his body as they both hit the hard concrete.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The "C4" detonator in Lin Feng's pocket hit the ground and triggered. But instead of a world-ending fire, the sky was suddenly filled with thousands of red silk rose petals and golden sparkles. A massive, high-tech firework launched into the air, exploding into a giant heart shape that illuminated the entire city of Zhonghai.
Silence fell over the rooftop, broken only by the crackle of falling glitter.
Lin Feng lay there, his shoulder shattered, blood dripping from his arm, his head spinning. He looked up at the red heart in the sky and felt a cold, paralyzing dread.
"Wait..." he whispered, his voice trembling. "This... this wasn't in the manual."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: CRITICAL ERROR!] [PLOT DEVIATION: 400%. THE HEROINE HAS MISINTERPRETED YOUR ARROGANCE AS HEROIC SELF-SACRIFICE.]
Lin Feng looked down. Su Qingxue was staring up at him. The "Ice-Cold CEO" wasn't cold anymore. Her jade-like face was flushed a deep crimson, her breathing was shallow, and her eyes—those sharp, piercing eyes—were shimmering with tears of pure, unadulterated devotion.
"You... you knew," she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. "The fireworks... the 'kidnapping'... you knew the Shadow Web assassins were waiting. You made yourself the villain to draw them out of the shadows. You took Ye Chen's blow just to reach me in time to block that bullet..."
"No, I didn't!" Lin Feng coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "I'm a bad guy! I was trying to... to... kidnap you for money! I'm a scum! A Young Master! A jerk!"
"Shut up!" Su Qingxue grabbed his silk tie, pulling his face down to hers. "You idiot! You almost died! Do you think I'm blind? You used the 'C4' threat to keep the police and civilians away so no one else would get hurt by the snipers. Why? Why play the villain? Is the Lin family's internal war so dangerous that you had to protect me this way?"
Ye Chen walked over, his face pale with a mix of shock and shame. He looked at the sniper rifle left behind by the fleeing assassin, then at the "heart" firework raining glitter on them. He dropped to one knee, bowing his head toward Lin Feng.
"Lin Feng... I am a fool," Ye Chen said, his voice thick with soldierly respect. "I thought you were a cancer on this city. But you... you're a martyr. You acted like a jerk so that the Shadow Web wouldn't suspect you were onto them. You even let me strike you without defending yourself to maintain the act... My kick... I could have killed a saint!"
"I DIDN'T LET YOU! YOU'RE JUST FASTER THAN ME!" Lin Feng screamed, but the blood loss was making the world tilt.
[DING! HERO'S FAVORABILITY: 90/100 (LIFE-LONG BROTHERHOOD)] [DING! HEROINE'S FAVORABILITY: 99/100 (ETERNAL DEVOTION)]
[NOTIFICATION: GLOBAL FAME INCREASED. THE CITIZENS OF ZHONGHAI HAVE WITNESSED THE 'RESCUE'. YOU ARE NOW THE MOST BELOVED MAN IN THE PROVINCE.]
"No..." Lin Feng groaned as the world turned pitch black. "I just wanted... the beach... why is it... always... like this..."
[SYSTEM STATUS SCREEN (DREAMSCAPE):]
Name: Lin Feng
Current Title: The Saint of Zhonghai (formerly: Arrogant Trash)
Villian Reputation: -5,000,000
Current Status: Accidentally Legendary.
Next Mission: Survive the "Care" of the Heroine.