Even a Heartthrob Can Be Defeated in a Love Triangle [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 1

A faint, ephemeral fragrance actually…

***

“My little ancestor, please, I beg you, restrain that foul temper of yours once we get on the island. It is better to say nothing at all than to say too much, make a mistake, and offend someone. Even if you have to fake it, just put on an act for me.”

What was that noise? It was incredibly annoying.

Yu Ling felt extremely irritable.

He distinctly remembered that because his performance metrics had ranked dead last, he had been classified as a discarded system. He was supposed to be thrown into the cleansing pool immediately and dissolved into a puddle of waste data.

【System: Host, did you forget? You have been bound to the ‘Holy Father System.’ As long as you promote world peace, you will not be wiped out.】

“Hey, Yu Ling, I am warning you, being on this show this time is purely a matter of absolute necessity. Do not think that because you secretly called me out, you can use our history as childhood friends to play the pity card and fish for sympathy, because I am telling you right now that I do not buy it.”

Yu Ling lifted his gaze and swept a glance over him.

It was just a casual look, yet because the youth possessed such a breathtakingly beautiful countenance, it seemed exceptionally distinct.

The young man froze under his gaze, and a flash of helplessness crossed his sharply contoured face. For some inexplicable reason, he felt that Yu Ling was somewhat different from before at this very moment.

Specifically, it was that pair of light blue eyes. When looking straight at him, they were clear, transparent, and completely innocent, almost resembling…

No, that was impossible. Yu Ling was nothing but a hypocritical, obnoxious fellow.

As if to alleviate the awkwardness from just now, the young man spoke harshly again.

“What are you looking at? You had better stay far away from me during filming. I will not give you a single bit of help.”

“Let go,” Yu Ling spoke, his clear voice carrying a strange, delicate pout.

Seeing that the other person had no reaction for a long time, he grew even more upset, a resentment born from the irritation of being ignored.

“I told you to let go; can you not hear me?” Angrily, Yu Ling struck down hard on the hand that the young man was using to clutch his collar.

Because he used a bit too much force, a faint, lingering sting vibrated through his own palm. This made Yu Ling even more furious, and he glared at the other party with absolute malice.

The system anxiously reminded him.

【System: Host, Host, we are the Holy Father System. You cannot treat a protagonist of the world line like this, because if they happen to blacken…】

Yu Ling did not want to listen to it at all.

What Holy Father, what saving the world? What did any of that have to do with him? Please, he used to be a villain system!

Yu Ling’s sole objective was to become the most formidable villain.

“You…” Yu Ling paused, suddenly realizing he had forgotten the name of the person in front of him.

This body had been generated by the system using data, but given that they were quite poor, the small amount of points provided could only be used to deduce the general trajectory of the character’s life.

Yu Ling had not even found the time to receive the memories related to this specific mission.

【System: Xi Jin, your childhood friend. He is twenty-two, a year older than you, and serves as the vocal lead in the group. He has a somewhat short temper, and you frequently clashed with him. For instance, you verbally abused him, slandered him, and filed all sorts of complaints that caused his parents to misunderstand him. When you were fourteen, you two had a complete falling out and went your separate ways. Who would have thought that through a bizarre twist of fate, you would end up becoming trainees together and even debuting in the same group. In short… he dislikes you quite a bit right now.】

Yu Ling offered a flat mental ‘oh’ in response. He figured that if the guy hated him, then so be it, since he was a Villain System and it was actually best if everyone feared him.

“Let go, you are hurting me.”

Knowing that the other party detested him, Yu Ling was even less inclined to show Xi Jin any pleasant behavior.

“You…” Xi Jin gasped, and then he glared at Yu Ling with a furious expression.

He must be losing his mind to think that Yu Ling had changed.

The guy was clearly still that same selfish, vicious, and delicate pretty-boy!

A sliver of disgust flickered in the depths of Xi Jin’s eyes. “You had better remember your current attitude, and whatever happens in the future, do not come to harass me.”

The young man forcefully shook his hand twice, acting as if having just touched Yu Ling made him incredibly uncomfortable.

Xi Jin assumed this would provoke the drama queen’s displeasure.

To his surprise, Yu Ling did not even bother to reply this time.

Yu Ling felt very sleepy and exhausted, so he wanted to find a place to lean against and take a nap.

He used to be a system, so this was his very first time occupying a human body, and he remained highly unaccustomed to it, to the point where simply walking on two legs made him remarkably uncomfortable.

Watching Yu Ling’s swaying silhouette, Xi Jin experienced self-doubt for the first time in his life. Was his pulling motion too violent just now? Why did it look as though he had actually injured Yu Ling?

A shred of their childhood connection urged Xi Jin to go over and check on him, but the moment he recalled Yu Ling’s ugly behavior just now, his pride forbade him from bowing his head.

He let out a furious snort and walked in the exact opposite direction of Yu Ling.

Right before he left, however, his footsteps halted in a bizarre fashion for a few seconds.

He detected a faint, ghostly fragrance, and after searching around for a moment, Xi Jin discovered the source was actually his own palm…

It was the precise spot that had accidentally brushed against Yu Ling’s collar just moments ago.

There were only Yu Ling and a few others on the cruise ship, as the directorial crew would not arrive until tomorrow due to scheduling arrangements.

This was exactly why Yu Ling’s manager had been so consumed by anxiety. Without the crew members keeping watch, he lived in constant fear that Yu Ling would cause some kind of trouble, which was why he had painstakingly delivered instructions before they boarded.

【System: See that guy next to you with the dyed purple hair? That is Ji Yiyang, your group’s former all-rounder ACE. He is the oldest in your group, but he is also the most arrogant and difficult to approach. You used to trip him up frequently in the past, and you even intentionally bought negative smear campaigns against him behind his back. This person does not like you very much either.】

Yu Ling leaned back listlessly with his eyes half-closed, only bothering to look at the man after the system repeatedly urged him to do so.

Hm… so it was him. Seeing that the guy stood a full half-head taller than himself, Yu Ling disliked him instantly.

Particularly when Ji Yiyang cast a glance in his direction, looking down on him from above, it immediately provoked Yu Ling’s temper.

“What are you looking at?” Yu Ling sat up straight and abruptly snapped at Ji Yiyang.

Ji Yiyang glanced at him, let out a cold snort, and simply walked right past Yu Ling without taking him seriously at all.

The system was frightened out of its wits.

【System: What, what, what are you doing! We are supposed to prevent the collapse of the world line, so why are you provoking him?】

Ji Yiyang was also one of the primary protagonists of the world line!

Yu Ling stared at Ji Yiyang’s tall back with deep irritation. Why on earth did he get to be so tall?

That detail alone was enough for him to hate Ji Yiyang a hundred times over.

He was nothing but a mere protagonist of a world line, yet he dared to look down on him like that?

Yu Ling felt as though his dignity as a future grand villain was being openly challenged.

“Yu Ling.”

A young man wearing a snow-white shirt walked over to him, and because of his gentle voice and clean aura, Yu Ling actually spared him a few extra glances.

The system informed him that the newcomer was named Wen Ting, the former main dancer of the group. He possessed the best temper in the entire group, despite coming from the poorest background, and he was extremely hardworking, maintaining decent relationships with everyone else.

Reasonably speaking, a person like this ought to be able to tolerate Yu Ling’s willful and overbearing nature…

【System: However, you felt that his temper was too soft and that he was a total pushover, and you absolutely despised that kind of personality. With your tacit approval, the other trainees at your company banded together to isolate and bully him, so over time, he chose to distance himself from you as well.】

Yu Ling understood now; this was another one of his enemies.

Anticipating that Yu Ling might snap, the system hurriedly added before he could speak: This is also one of the world line protagonists, and he is likely the single easiest protagonist to win over, so please do not provoke him under any circumstances!

The mild-mannered young man extended a warm cup of ginger tea. “I recall that you seem to get seasick, so please drink some ginger tea to ease your discomfort, and if you truly feel unwell, I have medication with me.”

Yu Ling had no desire to accept kindness from an inferior.

“Who says I am seasick?” The exquisitely beautiful youth wrinkled his face in open disgust. “Take your filthy hand away and do not touch me. Who knows if you have mixed poison into this ginger tea.”

Wen Ting looked hurt. “I am sorry.”

He took a sip himself to demonstrate that it was not poisoned.

Yu Ling was even less willing to accept it now. “You already drank from it, and you still want to give it to me?”

Was he out of his mind?

He reached out to push Wen Ting away, but the ship happened to lurch in the middle of its transit, causing Yu Ling to tilt sideways while the ginger tea in Wen Ting’s hand splashed out.

His meticulously chosen outfit was ruined just like that, throwing Yu Ling into a towering rage as his beautiful face flushed with anger. “What do you think you are doing? It is all your fault, you burned me!”

Yu Ling seized the opportunity to kick Wen Ting, enacting a petty piece of revenge.

The true nature hidden beneath the gentle mask surfaced for a brief few seconds.

Wen Ting stared at Yu Ling’s slender, porcelain neck, thinking to himself that this person truly possessed a death wish.

It was so thin… with just a light snap, that rosy little mouth would never be able to utter such foul, aggravating words again.

Yet when Yu Ling unreasonably kicked him a second time and demanded that he take responsibility with absolute confidence, Wen Ting suddenly changed his mind.

Yu Ling’s reasoning was entirely sound. “It is your fault for leaving the cup open; otherwise, how could it have spilled on me? Now you have soiled my clothes and let the ginger tea scald my leg.”

Wen Ting lowered his eyelashes, and a look of anxiety and nervousness surfaced on his elegant, handsome face. “I am sorry, is there anything you need me to do for you?”

Yu Ling took full advantage of the situation. “Naturally. During our upcoming days on the deserted island, you must serve me every single moment. When I tell you to go east, you are not permitted to go west. Otherwise…”

“Otherwise what?”

Yu Ling pondered for a long time, and finally, he stared at Wen Ting’s unthreatening face and delivered a malicious threat. “Otherwise, I will expose the fact that you intentionally seduced me, and I will ruin your reputation completely.”

Wen Ting slowly chewed on those specific words in his mouth. “…Seduced?”

“You spilled that on me on purpose, so isn’t that exactly what you did…” Yu Ling rolled up his trouser leg, intending to use his scalded calf to threaten him further, but he discovered that the tea had only soaked through the fabric without actually burning his skin at all.

Lifting the pant leg revealed nothing but a slender, pale calf.

Feeling a bit guilty, Yu Ling rubbed the flesh of his calf with his fingertips for a moment until it turned red. Look, you scalded it red, and now my leg hurts terribly, so I definitely cannot walk anymore.

Having witnessed the entire performance, Wen Ting felt amusement rise within his chest. It was an incredibly clumsy piece of acting.

And yet…

This fellow possessed a remarkably extraordinary, beautiful face.

At the very least, that sequence of behavior did not actually make a person feel genuine disgust from the bottom of their heart.

Wen Ting veiled his eyes, pretending as though he had truly been threatened. “Very well, I will listen to your words, so please do not tell anyone else.”

“Hmph. That is more like it.”

Support Even a Heartthrob Can Be Defeated in a Love Triangle [Quick Transmigration]