The Vicious Cannon Fodder Despised by Everyone Really Doesn't Want to Go Viral - Chapter 1

“Stay away from me! You do not even compare to one of Jiang Yubai’s fingers!”

The young man’s brows were knit tightly, his face clouded with unshakeable anger and hostility. Under the moonlight, his eyes seemed out of focus as if covered by a hazy mist of tears, while his cheeks were flushed with an unnatural crimson from the alcohol.

Lin Zhiyu fell clumsily to the ground. His lower back struck a pebble, causing him to hiss in pain. He instinctively reached out to rub the sore spot, but his movements were cut short by a string of merciless words.

“Do not think I do not know what you were up to. On the night of Grandfather’s birthday, you planned to scheme against Jiang Yubai. Your plot failed, and instead, you delivered yourself right into Mu Sui’s bed!”

The young man’s tone was laced with mockery. He glanced with disgust at the hand that had just touched Lin Zhiyu and used his sleeve to rub away the faint, apricot-pink lip print on his shirt collar.

Lin Zhiyu pursed his lips instinctively, feeling that the scene before him was strange and eerie. There was a pebble-paved path, emerald bamboo swaying on both sides, and a crystal-clear pond nearby. Decorative rocks were submerged in the water and draped in climbing vines, while several koi swam leisurely beneath the shimmering surface.

Was he not supposed to be at home rushing to meet a deadline?

A few minutes ago, he was clearly revising a proposal for a client. He had worked until he saw stars, and having finally finished, he intended to go downstairs to buy a midnight snack. Then, he took a misstep. When he opened his eyes again, he was here.

Wait, did he remember to save that document?

“Where on earth is this?” Lin Zhiyu’s heart hammered against his ribs as he scanned his surroundings. He realized he was in a traditional Chinese courtyard, the kind he could not afford even if he worked for another hundred years.

“Stop playing dumb,” the young man spoke coldly, his voice full of contempt. “You should be glad that an unpredictable freak like Mu Sui actually showed mercy that day. Not only did he not hold it against you, but he even agreed to Father’s proposal to marry you. You exhausted every scheme to get this result. Are you satisfied?”

Mu Sui?

Lin Zhiyu paused. Why did that name sound so familiar?

He suddenly remembered that he had just finished reading a novel titled The True Young Master is Always Coveted. The plot was melodramatic and addictive; it told the story of the protagonist, Jiang Yubai, who was taken back by his biological parents only to be targeted by a fake young master and harassed by various villains. Eventually, he achieved success in both his career and his love life.

As luck would have it, the vicious and stupid fake young master who framed Jiang Yubai in the story was also named Lin Zhiyu.

A shiver ran down Lin Zhiyu’s spine. He hurried to the edge of the pond and looked down. The clear water reflected a face that was gorgeous to the point of being flamboyant. He had pink, shoulder-length wolf-tail hair, beautiful features, and eyes like polished black jade. Directly beneath his left eye sat a dark red mole. His lips were pale, curving into a faint and ambiguous smile as his facial muscles twitched.

The shock of the pink hair was so strong that Lin Zhiyu stared blankly for several seconds before realizing that this face was identical to his own. However, the original Lin Zhiyu rarely bothered with his appearance and usually looked weary and relaxed; this face, by contrast, was radiantly aggressive.

He froze on the spot.

He had transmigrated, and into the body of the vicious cannon-fodder fake young master.

As the plot of the original novel flashed through his mind, Lin Zhiyu broke into a cold sweat. In the book, this fake young master was obsessed with seeking favor and pathetically pursued the protagonist, Mu Yunji. He not only framed Jiang Yubai multiple times but even tried to drug him. Finally, he brought about his own ruin by marrying Mu Yunji’s elder brother, Mu Sui. After the wedding, unwilling to see the two protagonists happy together, he teamed up with Mu Sui to cause trouble repeatedly, eventually earning himself a pair of handcuffs.

The exact moment he had arrived was the scene where the original character attempted to use a drunken state to force a kiss on Mu Yunji during Mu Sui’s wedding banquet.

Lin Zhiyu looked up at the sky in despair.

“It is over. I might as well just die.”

He had been a good person all his life and had even drawn a “great luck” fortune at a temple last week. How could he be this unlucky?

Nearby, the young man, Mu Yunji, clearly did not notice his daze. He continued to vent his anger with a cold face. “I advise you to behave yourself. Do not come looking for me. First, I have no interest in fooling around with my sister-in-law. Second, I am not interested in someone like you. Furthermore, compared to Mu Sui, my temper is considered gentle. If he found out you were seducing his half-brother in the backyard on your wedding day, how do you think he would treat you?”

Lin Zhiyu forced himself to stay calm, his mind racing to calculate a strategy.

In the novel, Lin Zhiyu fell in love with Mu Yunji, who was two years his junior, at age twenty. He entered the entertainment industry to chase his love and specifically joined a talent show where Mu Yunji served as a vocal mentor. It was during this show that the Lin parents first noticed Jiang Yubai.

Jiang Yubai’s adoptive parents had passed away when he was in middle school, leaving only his sick grandmother as family. When the Lin parents brought him back, they did not intend to tell Lin Zhiyu the truth; they planned to raise both sons together.

Lin Zhiyu originally thought Jiang Yubai was his father’s illegitimate son, but seeing how close his mother was to the boy, he grew suspicious. Regardless of Jiang Yubai’s true identity, he had indeed stolen the affection of the Lin parents and Lin Zhiyu’s status in the family. This filled Lin Zhiyu with immense fear.

He began to provoke Jiang Yubai, mocking him whenever things went wrong. Initially, Jiang Yubai ignored him, but Lin Zhiyu’s behavior only worsened. It was not until he accidentally pushed Jiang Yubai down the stairs that Lin Zhiyu learned the truth from his furious mother.

As it turned out, he was the one occupying a nest that was not his.

The family, the wealth, and the luxurious life he enjoyed all belonged to Jiang Yubai. Even the man he liked, Mu Yunji, who had always been indifferent to him, had expressed his admiration for Jiang Yubai on the show without hesitation.

Lin Zhiyu could not accept this gap in status. After spending several days in a decadent and drunken stupor, he finally thought of a way to separate Mu Yunji and Jiang Yubai while getting revenge on the latter. He would send Jiang Yubai to the bed of Mu Yunji’s half-brother, Mu Sui.

Mu Sui was a man of unpredictable temperament and the current head of the Mu family. Unfortunately, he had injured his legs in a car accident three years ago and became a useless man confined to a wheelchair. Because of this, his personality had become increasingly gloomy and terrifying. If Jiang Yubai were tainted by Mu Sui, Mu Yunji would never be able to have a good ending with him, no matter how much he liked him, due to Mu Sui’s power. Ideally, Jiang Yubai would be tormented by Mu Sui until he wished he were dead. That would be truly satisfying.

But Lin Zhiyu never expected that the drug intended for Jiang Yubai would be consumed by himself instead. Under the control of the drug, he had knelt between Mu Sui’s legs and made a fool of himself. Once he sobered up, he received a phone call from the Lin parents disowning him and a notice of his marriage to Mu Sui.

But that was not the main issue. Lin Zhiyu looked at Mu Yunji’s face in despair.

The book described that after Lin Zhiyu married the villain Mu Sui, he appeared with ambiguous red marks on his body every time he was seen, as if he had been whipped or bitten. The comments section for those chapters was filled with theories about whether Mu Sui had special preferences. Lin Zhiyu’s final fate of ten years in prison was triggered by his jealousy over Jiang Yubai and Mu Yunji finally being together. In a fit of rage, he hired someone to kidnap Jiang Yubai. Before going to jail, he was locked in a dark room by Mu Sui, who was already deeply in love with Jiang Yubai, and was tormented for half a month until his body was broken.

Although the readers cheered for the cannon-fodder’s suffering, Lin Zhiyu felt his hair stand on end when he read those chapters, given the character shared his name. He did not have strong feelings about Mu Sui. In the original book, the author spared no effort in showcasing the charm of this mature and abstinent man while he pursued Jiang Yubai.

But Lin Zhiyu did not want to be beaten, and he certainly did not want to go to prison. However, the marriage was already a reality, and divorce seemed unlikely. At the very least, Mu Sui had plenty of money and rarely came home. As long as he did not act out like the original character, he still had a chance to survive.

With this in mind, he decided to stabilize the protagonist first to prevent the situation from escalating into more drama. He took a deep breath and tried to look sincere. “Mu Yunji, you have misunderstood. I only came out to tell you that I have realized my mistakes. I will never bother you again.”

Mu Yunji was slightly stunned, then broke into a disdainful smile. “Oh? You have realized your mistakes? Let us hear it. Is this another one of your low-level playing hard to get tactics?”

Lin Zhiyu gritted his teeth and steeled his heart. “I used to bother you because I had not met anyone better. But after seeing your brother today, I think he has broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. He is fair-skinned, beautiful, and in a wheelchair; he is exactly my type. You are no longer attractive to me. I want to settle down and live a good life with your brother.”

Mu Yunji’s face turned green instantly. “Are you sick?”

Lin Zhiyu lowered his eyes shyly, further consolidating his stance. “I am serious. Since I have entered the Mu family and become Mr. Mu’s husband, I will not have improper thoughts about anyone else.”

Just as the words left his mouth, he noticed Mu Yunji’s expression stiffen.

Is he impressed by my bold words? Lin Zhiyu wondered.

However, before he could celebrate, he heard a click-clack sound coming from the right. Mu Yunji looked toward the source of the sound. The alcoholic flush faded from his face, which turned green and then white in quick succession. He gave Lin Zhiyu a complicated look and spoke to the newcomer in a sarcastic tone. “Do not misunderstand. It was too stuffy inside, so I came out for some air. I should be heading back now. But Mu Sui, he just said he wants to live a good life with you. You should take good care of your person. Do not let his deep affection go to waste.”

Silent tires rolled over the pebble path. The faint hum of an electric motor drifted into Lin Zhiyu’s ears, intertwining with the light evening breeze. Lin Zhiyu turned his head awkwardly. His eyes met straight and slender calves wrapped in suit trousers. Every crease in the fabric seemed like a meticulously designed texture. Looking up, he saw a tight and lean waist and broad, upright shoulders.

It matched his fabricated description perfectly.

The man’s face was indeed as the original book described: deep brows, handsome features, and eyes like a dark abyss. His cold face was clouded with shadows, and his aura was noble yet detached. His downward gaze was either deeply gloomy or simply chillingly indifferent. Perhaps it was both.

He did not spare a single glance for the departing Mu Yunji. His gaze merely swept over Lin Zhiyu once before he spoke thinly. “Live a good life with me?”

Lin Zhiyu’s mouth twitched, and he gave a stiff smile. “Yes.”

Then, Lin Zhiyu heard him let out a mocking chuckle, his voice devoid of emotion. “I will pay you 300,000 a month. Stay in the Mu family quietly and do not cause trouble. We will divorce in one year.”

There was actually such a good deal!

Lin Zhiyu’s eyes lit up as his mind calculated rapidly. A monthly salary of 300,000! If he could just endure this one year, he could walk away and stay far away from the cringeworthy drama of this novel. Then he could lie flat and enjoy a blissful life!

Lin Zhiyu was ecstatic and could not help but blurt out: “Okay, Husband!”