Save That Miserable Protagonist - Chapter 1

“Kneel.”

Lu Xun’s voice was not loud, but it carried an air of condescending and unquestionable authority, sounding exceptionally clear and cold within the top-tier hotel suite.

He leaned lazily back into the velvet sofa, his slender fingers playing with a thin metal lighter. The lighter clicked open and shut repeatedly, and the crisp snapping sound added a layer of psychological pressure to the room.

Against this rhythmic backdrop, Lu Xun scanned the person in front of him inch by inch. His gaze was filled with playfulness and the curiosity one might have when inspecting a novel toy. He was looking forward to the reaction of the person before him.

Pei Tingsong’s reaction did not disappoint. The young man stood stick-straight, his back tensed like a fully drawn bow. Nearly every cell in his body screamed refusal.

He kept his head down and his eyes lowered. His thick lashes cast a small shadow that hid a nearly uncontrollable rage. His jaw was clenched so tightly that the lines of his lower face and the veins in his neck were strikingly prominent.

Lu Xun’s voice drifted over again, airy and languid, carrying the characteristic arrogance of the wealthy. “You are unwilling?”

Of course, he was unwilling. Who in their right mind would willingly kneel to another person?

His fingernails dug deep into his palms as Pei Tingsong’s chest burned with fury.

“If you are unwilling, then I am afraid this will not be as simple as compensating for a single coat,” Lu Xun spoke slowly, as if he were genuinely troubled on Pei Tingsong’s behalf. “I heard you have a grandmother who is ill. Medical bills are not cheap, are they? Tell me, if I were to call the bar owner right now and say you have offended both Manager Wang and myself, do you think you would keep your job? If you lose your job, can you still afford Manager Wang’s coat or your grandmother’s medical fees?”

The coat! It was all because of that cursed coat!

Several hours earlier, Gou Bar.

At that time, Lu Xun was huddled boredly in a booth on the second floor. He had been dragged there by a friend. Yu Che had his eye on a girl working part-time at the bar, so he dragged their group there every day to show support for her.

Lu Xun was disinterested in his friends’ heckling and games. Even the chaotic dancing on the floor below seemed dull and repetitive to him. That was until a rather loud commotion downstairs broke his trance. The sound was sudden and sharp, even cutting through the bar’s music.

The noise gave Lu Xun a headache. Frowning slightly, he lazily lifted his eyelids to glance at the floor below. It was another cliché scene. A greasy, middle-aged man who looked like he was made of nothing but fat was currently grabbing a waiter’s wrist. He was relentless, spitting as he accused the waiter of ruining his expensive suit and loudly demanding an explanation.

“Vulgar and boring,” Lu Xun sneered internally, thinking this drama was even less interesting than Yu Che losing another game.

Just as he was about to withdraw his gaze, the lights over the dance floor suddenly swayed violently, sweeping across that specific area and briefly illuminating the waiter’s face. In that single moment of light, Lu Xun’s gaze froze.

It was an exceptionally striking face with features so defined they almost carried a hint of aggression. However, the most eye-catching thing was not the exquisite face itself, but those pitch-black eyes. Despite bowing and offering a lowly apology, his mouth speaking the softest of words, the waiter’s eyes held not a shred of humility or fear. Instead, they burned with a fierce light and suppressed fury.

Even while being roughly jerked around by the man, his frame remained straight as a spear. This intense contrast between an extreme posture of submission and an extremely rebellious gaze suddenly made Lu Xun find the situation very interesting.

A wicked impulse to personally break that stubborn pride instantly surged in Lu Xun’s heart. He wanted to see this beautiful young man, who stood as straight as a green pine, kneel before him. More importantly, he wanted him to do it willingly. This was better at killing boredom than any drinking game.

Waving his hand nonchalantly, Lu Xun pointed downstairs and spoke in a flat voice to the attendant beside him. “Do me a favor. Go tell that man making a scene downstairs that I have taken an interest in that waiter. No matter how much his suit costs, I will compensate him ten times over.”

Downstairs, the man was still cursing, spewing foul and lewd threats.

Pei Tingsong pressed his pale lips together. Facing the man’s suggestive gaze, his stomach churned with nausea. He had reached his absolute limit of endurance. His grip on the serving tray tightened. Just as Pei Tingsong was about to lose control, another waiter hurried over and whispered a few words into the man’s ear.

The next second, a scene that could only be described as theatrical unfolded. The man’s expression shifted drastically. His lewd threats instantly turned into shock, which then morphed into a fawning, terrified panic. He let go of Pei Tingsong’s hand as if he had touched a hot iron. In that moment, he even instinctively dusted off Pei Tingsong’s sleeve.

“Oh! Look at this mess! A misunderstanding! A total misunderstanding!” The man bowed and scraped, his voice dropping an octave.

Pei Tingsong keenly noticed that the man was desperately trying to force a smile toward the second-floor booths. “You should have said sooner that you are the person Young Master Lu has his eye on! This suit is not worth much! Not much at all! Please, be the bigger person and put in a good word for me with Young Master Lu. Do not lower yourself to my level.”

Pei Tingsong was completely stunned. The pain from the man’s tight grip still lingered on his wrist. The discomfort had not even faded, and now this person was groveling to apologize. Following the man’s sycophantic gaze, Pei Tingsong tentatively looked up at the second-floor booths.

Amidst the flickering lights and shadows, an exceptionally handsome, noble-looking young man was leaning against the railing, his head tilted as he watched him. The moment their eyes met, the man even waved and offered a smile that could be described as gentle and friendly. The dim yellow light cast a hazy halo around him. The man looked impossibly beautiful, like a kind deity who had appeared there by chance.

Pei Tingsong was momentarily dazed by that smile. He could not quite comprehend the scene, nor did he understand why this young master upstairs would help him. However, since the crisis was resolved, Pei Tingsong breathed a sigh of relief. He pursed his lips slightly, suppressed a strange sense of unease, and gave a small nod toward the second floor to express his gratitude.

Unfortunately, he thanked him too soon.

He had just finished delivering a round of drinks when the manager ran over with a beaming face, his tone warmer than ever before. “Xiao Pei! Why are you still delivering drinks? Your big break is here! Young Master Lu upstairs asked for you by name. He is the guest of all guests! Be smart. Serve him well, and you will never want for anything again!”

Young Master Lu? Was he the person who just helped him?

As expected, there was no such thing as a free lunch. A sharp sense of dread rose in Pei Tingsong’s heart, but he had no room to resist. The manager, without allowing any argument, practically grabbed and shoved him into the private elevator leading to the penthouse suite.

As the elevator rose silently, Pei Tingsong tried hard to remember that gentle smile, searching for a single shred of genuine kindness. Maybe things would not go the way he imagined. But with every floor the elevator ascended, the absolute luxury and silence of the surroundings wrapped tighter around him. That tiny spark of hope grew thinner, like oxygen in high altitude.

The mirrored walls reflected his pale face and cheap uniform. Pei Tingsong’s palms stung from his clenched fists.

The elevator stopped.

“Be smart! This is an opportunity many people would beg for, and it has fallen into your lap. Make Young Master Lu comfortable. Even a little bit of what he lets slip through his fingers would be enough for you to live on for the rest of your life. How much is dignity worth anyway? Use your head and do not be so stubborn.”

Amidst the manager’s incessant chatter, Pei Tingsong was unceremoniously pushed out of the elevator and through the heavy, luxurious doors. Then, he saw the man leaning lazily on the sofa with a gaze that made no effort to hide the fact that he was appraising a piece of merchandise.

There was no kind deity. Pei Tingsong finally saw clearly. The man before him was no different from the greasy man downstairs. In fact, he was perhaps even more terrifying.

Lu Xun watched as the color drained from Pei Tingsong’s face, seeing his expression shift from confusion and shock to the current state of humiliation and rage. Seeing him like this, Lu Xun could barely restrain the smile at the corners of his mouth.

Curving his lips slightly, Lu Xun added more fuel to the fire. “You should know that if you do not satisfy me today, what awaits you outside this hotel is a compensation notice and a pile of overdue bills.”

Hearing this, Pei Tingsong snapped his head up, his dark, bright eyes staring straight at Lu Xun.

Looking into those eyes full of fury, Lu Xun pointed to his own face and feigned innocence. “What is with that look? No matter how you look at it, I am better than that middle-aged man.”

“Heh.”

Hearing Lu Xun’s words, Pei Tingsong let out a cold laugh. His eyes were full of mockery as he said, “Is that so? I do not see any difference between the two of you. He is just more direct and vulgar, while you are simply wearing a layer of human skin.”

The moment Pei Tingsong finished speaking, Lu Xun sat up straight. He knew Pei Tingsong had thorns, but he had not expected him to be this sharp. The playfulness in his eyes intensified. Looking at that tensed jawline and those pitch-black eyes flashing with a fierce light, Lu Xun’s smile became even more tender. “Listen to you, talking about human skin. Do you want to see my medical report? I am very healthy.”

He quickly followed up with: “But I will need to see yours too. If you pass, anything you want is negotiable. The floor is cold. If you are unwilling to kneel on the ground, that is fine. Or, you could kneel on my lap?”

As Lu Xun said this, he even gave a suggestive glance toward his lap. His tone was innocent, but the desire in his eyes was naked, as if he were not saying something insulting, but rather offering a proposal that Pei Tingsong would be a fool to miss.

It was absolutely shameless.

Listening to this, Pei Tingsong was shaking all over with rage. Yet, at this point, he had to admit that Lu Xun was right. The mess waiting for him outside this hotel was no better than the man in front of him. At the very least, the Lu Xun before him was tall and handsome, with an air of noble refinement in every gesture. If they were truly to do anything, Pei Tingsong would not be losing too much.

But Lu Xun insisted on making him kneel. It was the posture of a subordinate submitting to a superior. Pei Tingsong’s teeth were clenched so hard they ached, and his fists tightened until his knuckles cracked.

Hearing that sound, Lu Xun’s smile deepened. He was a wicked person who loved watching beauty break. The more humiliated Pei Tingsong felt, the more excited Lu Xun became. His gaze became increasingly overt, moving from Pei Tingsong’s distinct collarbones to his crimson lips, which the young man had bitten into. Licking his own lips, Lu Xun let out a satisfied laugh.

Then, Lu Xun offered a seemingly helpful reminder: “If you agree, be quick about it.”

Pei Tingsong had worked at the bar for a long time. He knew how these wealthy young masters played. Kneel, acknowledge a master. He also knew that if he followed their lead too easily, they would soon find him boring.

But he really could not bring himself to kneel. With a pale face, Pei Tingsong was filled with despair. He looked up. The lights on the ceiling were blindingly bright. Pei Tingsong closed his eyes and let out a bleak smile. This smile was truly beautiful, like shattered glass: lovely and sharp, yet carrying a sense of brokenness that made one want to offer comfort.

Unfortunately, Lu Xun had no intention of being tender. Pei Tingsong had wasted too much time, and Lu Xun’s patience had run out. He tapped the face of his watch. With a crisp sound, Lu Xun reminded him impatiently, “It is past nine. I am going to take a shower. If I come out and you are still not kneeling there, our transaction, which has not even started, is over.”

Having said that, Lu Xun gave Pei Tingsong a wicked smile. “Then you can just wait for those calls from the bar and the hospital.”

He finished speaking and walked decisively into the bathroom, leaving Pei Tingsong standing there stunned and alone. It was not until he heard the sound of water from the bathroom that Pei Tingsong moved his stiff body. He had stood for so long that his limbs had begun to go numb.

Looking at this luxury suite that exceeded his imagination and the exquisite decorations he did not even dare to touch, the fleeting thought of running away was instantly snuffed out. He could not win against Lu Xun. Were there not enough news stories about wealthy kids causing deaths? If he ran now, what awaited him might be something even more terrifying.

The more he thought, the more desperate he felt. Pei Tingsong almost resigned himself to fate.

The water splashed. Lu Xun, drying his hair and wrapped in a cloud of steam, stepped out of the bathroom. As soon as he stepped out, he met Pei Tingsong’s dark pupils and heard a sentence squeezed through gritted teeth: “I can accept some normal, ordinary things, but I will not accept your strange games.”

The words “normal” and “ordinary” were emphasized heavily.

Hearing this, Lu Xun found it somewhat amusing. “Are you bargaining with me?”

Pei Tingsong’s face was ghostly pale, his hands clenching tighter and tighter until he nearly drew blood. “I can cooperate with you in bed, but I am not your toy.”

Lu Xun gave a flippant laugh, raised an eyebrow, and spoke lightly, “But I am looking specifically for a beautiful toy.”

At the word “toy,” Pei Tingsong’s eyes practically spat fire. He stared straight at Lu Xun and asked, “Then if I kneel, can you guarantee you will let me go afterward?”

“That depends on when I get tired of you, I suppose,” Lu Xun spoke with total indifference, as if he were not stripping away a person’s dignity. “After all, so far, I quite like you.”

He threw down the towel in his hand and offered a smile that could be called beautiful. “If you agree, then hurry up and kneel. Then we can discuss the specific details of the contract.”

Hearing this, Pei Tingsong took a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly. Clenching his jaw, he began to slowly bend his knees. But at the very moment Pei Tingsong bent his body, a strange current began to flow through Lu Xun’s body.

[Warning! Warning! System has detected that the host’s behavior has caused the target’s hatred value to spike, significantly increasing the risk of a future mutual death. Host, please terminate your behavior immediately!]

[Warning! Warning! Hatred value is continuing to increase! Level One punishment will be applied!]

Following this mechanical voice in his head, a completely foreign, bone-searing agony suddenly ripped through Lu Xun’s entire body.

“Ugh!”

Caught off guard, Lu Xun let out a short, muffled groan. His tall frame shuddered violently, his knees buckled, and he slammed heavily onto the carpet.

 (The corners of his forehead) were instantly covered in fine cold sweat. For a moment, his vision went black from the extreme pain.

[Host, please stop your behavior immediately!]

Hearing the mechanical voice in his head, Lu Xun snapped his head up. Meeting Pei Tingsong’s suspicious and slightly gratified gaze, Lu Xun shouted with exasperation and a hint of terror he had not noticed himself: “Is this your doing?!”