Entangled with a Gloomy Creep in an Explicit Novel - Chapter 1

People always say that Gen Z has a knack for rectifying the workplace, and Jin Yongyi had that same determination when she first entered society. However, by her third year of being treated like a corporate beast of burden, her spirit was utterly shattered.

Overtime until late at night was a daily routine. She lived in an old, dilapidated neighborhood with narrow, steep alleys so cramped that even a small electric scooter could not fit through. Although the streetlights had been refurbished and shone as bright as day at night, walking down the empty, silent paths still felt eerie.

Back then, the phrase Jin Yongyi said most often was:

“I am not even afraid of my moronic boss or my drama-queen colleagues; why would I be afraid of ghosts?”

But at this very moment, she felt a deep sense of regret for ever saying those words.

Jin Yongyi took a sharp breath, the air rushing from her abdomen straight to her head, and exploded with a primordial strength: “Aaahhh!! Ghost!!!”

Her mind was a total blank. She had only one thought: Run for your life!

Jin Yongyi sprinted with the intensity of a world-class track champion. Behind her, the “ghost” drifted lazily in a circle before charging toward her with the speed of a high-speed bullet train.

At the same time, other unidentified creatures like it accurately locked onto her running figure. They swarmed toward her all at once, resembling a crowd of elderly people scrambling for supermarket clearance items; the scene instantly became chaotic.

Wiping tears away, Jin Yongyi ran like crazy. She had no idea where she was. She only remembered that a second ago, she had just finished overtime and reached the base of her apartment building; a second later, all the streetlights went out. Born with slight night blindness, she panicked. The phone in her hand vanished, and in the blink of an eye, she was staring at a ghastly face.

How traumatic this was for a girl who had to cover her eyes throughout entire horror movies!

The surrounding area was bright enough, but everywhere she looked was filled with trees. Jin Yongyi looked up and nearly had a heart attack. A mega-moon was embedded in the pitch-black sky. While it illuminated the earth, she watched with her own eyes as a dense mass of ghosts drifted past, soon obscuring a corner of the light, which was coincidentally the direction in which she was fleeing.

A ghostly wind howled, slapping her face like a hand. That is what you get for walking home late every day and disrespecting Ghost Lords.

Jin Yongyi sobbed uncontrollably. She wanted to turn toward a brighter spot, but the chill behind her was closing in on the back of her head. Terrified, she lunged headlong into a darkness so thick she could not see her own hand.

When people lose their sight, their other senses amplify. The temperature around her grew colder, and something seemed to be blowing air into her ear, sending goosebumps all over her body. She swung her arms wildly in a “Soaring Dragon” move and actually managed to knock away several ghosts trying to get close.

Not daring to slack off, she continued to flail her arms and run forward.

Suddenly, there was a loud thud.

A large tree shuddered, and leaves rustled down, landing on the person sprawled haphazardly beneath it.

Jin Yongyi saw stars. The exhaustion following her high-speed sprint hit her like a tidal wave. Panting heavily, she felt incredibly unlucky, yet she did not want to die so pointlessly. Dropping dead at her workstation might at least get her stingy boss to pay some compensation; it was better than dying here for no clear reason.

She had not been lying there for more than ten seconds when she felt herself surrounded by three layers of ghosts. A bone-chilling cold seeped into her pores. She held her breath and tremulously shifted her weight, chanting “you cannot see me” in her head. Just as she was stealthily propping herself up, something slimy and slippery licked across her exposed calf.

A breeze blew, leaving that spot feeling icy, and a chorus of ghostly leers erupted in her ears.

Jin Yongyi froze, propped up on her elbows.

Was that just a lick? Was she licked on the leg by a ghost?!

The horror movie soundtrack playing on loop in her head came to a screeching halt. Rage surged within her. Without thinking, she raised the licked leg and kicked with all her might toward the source of the laughter.

So, she had run into a perverted ghost!

Over the years of working late and walking home, she had often mentally prepared herself for encountering criminals; she had vowed that if she ever met one, she would kick his manhood until it snapped.

Today was her lucky day. Be you man or ghost, this lady is going to fight you to the death!

Jin Yongyi felt some small stones nearby. She snatched them up and started hurling them frantically at her feet, not forgetting to spit out: “You dare harass me? Even after I die and become a ghost, I will not let you off!”

She quickly ran out of stones. Blindly searching, she realized she had no weapons left, and the intimidated ghosts began to drift back toward her.

A wise person does not fight the dead. Her logic returned, and she ducked her head to run again.

After running about ten meters, she tripped over something hard because she could not see. She fell flat on her face.

Ignoring the pain, Jin Yongyi burst into loud wails.

Heaven truly wants me dead! I have not bought a house or a car yet, I have not kept a “pretty boy” yet, I have not fired my boss yet, and my prime years are going to be wasted here!

Jin Yongyi wailed at the top of her lungs, thrashing her arms and legs against the ground like she was throwing a tantrum. As she thrashed, something suddenly appeared in front of her head. She felt it; it seemed to be a shoe.

Jin Yongyi lifted her head, wiped away the tears and mud blurring her vision, and saw an “angel.”

The surrounding ghosts had vanished at some point. The clear moonlight poured down unobstructed upon a youth dressed in white, holding a silver sword.

The super-moon behind him acted like an angel’s halo. Although she could not see his face clearly, her heart could not help but pound.

Like a drowning person clutching a straw, she grabbed the youth’s leg, and her tension eased slightly. Suddenly, her nose caught a strong scent of blood. A flash of sword-light flickered before her eyes; in that instant, she saw that the youth’s hem was covered in blood.

On a night like this, in a place so perfect for murder and body disposal, what kind of good person would be here?

Just as Jin Yongyi was about to let go of his leg, a voice rang out in her mind:

[Target Character: Zhao Fuzhou, the protagonist of this novel, has appeared. Host, please be on high alert.]

What?

Having read several transmigration novels while slacking off at work, it took Jin Yongyi only a second to guess the gist of the situation and accept her circumstances. Since he was the protagonist, he definitely would not leave her to die; after all, protagonists on wholesome platforms had to be upright and heroic. Jin Yongyi instantly felt relieved. She did not just hug the male lead’s thigh; she rested her head right on his boot.

Closing her eyes, she passed out completely.

When she woke up again, it was daytime.

Jin Yongyi sat up groggily, a sharp pain throbbing in her head. She collapsed back down, wailing in agony.

Before she could whine much more, a knock sounded on the doorframe. A gentle voice came from outside: “Is the young lady awake? Is it convenient for me to enter?”

After listening to ghostly laughter all night, this voice was like heavenly music. Jin Yongyi’s back stopped aching and her head stopped throbbing; she bolted upright and put on a friendly smile that would win over anyone.

“Please come in.”

The door pushed inward, and a person walked toward her carrying a bowl of medicine.

In the ample daylight, everything was clear. The youth wore the simplest, plainest clothes without any ornaments. Looking closely, there was a lingering touch of youthfulness in his features, which added a sense of inviolable purity to his appearance.

Jin Yongyi finally understood what it meant when people said that if someone is good-looking enough, even a smile feels like a temptation.

She lowered her gaze and casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Zhao Fuzhou sat on a small stool by the bed, handed her the medicine bowl, and explained: “You injured your head, Miss. I asked a doctor from a nearby village to examine you during the Hour of the Dragon. After you drink this and rest for another day, you should be fine.”

Jin Yongyi took it; the medicine was still steaming. Thinking back to how she had suspected him of being a villain last night, she wanted to slap herself.

With a face like that, how could he be a bad person?

Jin Yongyi blew on the medicine and looked at Zhao Fuzhou with deep gratitude: “Thank you for saving my life, Young Master. I have no way to repay you…”

Actually, she did not want to say that cliché “repay with my body” line; she was grateful, but she was also being polite. After all, she had just transmigrated and had nothing to her name; repaying him was one thing, but giving herself away as a gift was absolutely impossible.

But a male lead is indeed a male lead; he did not use his favor to demand anything.

“You only need to finish the medicine, Miss, and the debt will be settled.”

Truly upright and heroic, Jin Yongyi thought, beaming a smile at him.

Zhao Fuzhou showed no intention of leaving. Seeing him staring at the medicine bowl, he was likely waiting for her to finish so he could take it away.

Truly thoughtful.

Jin Yongyi praised him frantically in her mind, but she still did not know what kind of novel this was, what her role was, or what her connection was to this handsome guy.

The medicine was at a drinkable temperature. Jin Yongyi held her breath and took a large gulp. The faint metallic taste of blood mixed in the medicine made her gag.

Right then, the system’s voice rang in her head again.

[Welcome, Host, to the world of an Ancient Fantasy Male-Oriented Novel. The one before you is the male lead, and you are a minor supporting character who is devoted to him throughout his journey to success. You must stay by his side faithfully until your death.]

Jin Yongyi: “?”

Minor supporting character.

With such a handsome guy in front of her, the system did not let her be the female lead for a love-beyond-death epic romance. How could she be so unlucky to be cast as a minor follower?

“Pfffft!!!”

At the mention of those keywords, it felt as if someone had kicked her in the heart. She was so upset she suffered internal damage and sprayed the medicine right out of her mouth.

In her daze, Jin Yongyi thought some jerk colleague from her old office had transmigrated as the system; why was it speaking so coldly?

And what was worse: she was a low-level employee at her company, and now she transmigrated only to be a low-level supporting character?

Is this the life of an NPC? Cannot even transmigrating change this ultra-weak attribute?

Jin Yongyi wanted to cry but had no tears; she felt her life had reached an unprecedented low.

Suddenly, the system’s scream jolted her world.

[Host!! What are you doing! He is the Male Lead!]

Jin Yongyi flinched, her eyes widening in horror, only to see that Zhao Fuzhou’s face was covered in the medicine she had just sprayed.

He had his head slightly turned, his face drenched in the brown herbal liquid. A drop of liquid slid from his forehead and hung perfectly on his long, curled eyelashes, slowly falling onto his clothes as he breathed.

Jin Yongyi stared blankly, nearly saying, “Oh baby.”

You are telling me this “pretty boy” is the protagonist of a male-oriented novel? Who would believe that? What was the author thinking?

[It is over! It is all over! Host, stop daydreaming and wipe the male lead’s face!]

Seeing her lack of reaction, the system screamed like a frantic marmot in her head.

Jin Yongyi’s head ached from the noise. Resigned, she closed her eyes.

She scrambled out of bed. Because she had run several kilometers the night before, her legs shook as soon as they hit the floor. She wobbled like she had an underdeveloped cerebellum. She lost her grip on the medicine bowl, and it flew out of her hand, the remaining medicine drawing a graceful arc in the air. In her desperation, Jin Yongyi reached out to catch it, leaning her body at a forty-five degree angle.

And then, she fell flat on her butt.

And she dragged Zhao Fuzhou off his stool with her.

[Sigh…] The system let out a deep sigh, sounding ten years older.

If it had just ended there, it would have been fine. But what made it more awkward was that as she fell, she had accidentally grabbed Zhao Fuzhou’s robe belt!

Now, he was in a state of being completely bare-chested.

Jin Yongyi could not help but stare at that pale, firm torso.

Eight-pack abs.

Looking up, wow, it is actually a soft pink.

Looking further up, a sexy Adam’s apple bobbed.

Looking—

“Have you seen enough?”

Jin Yongyi blurted out: “No.”