Transmigrated as the Villain’s Cannon Fodder Ex-Husband - Chapter 1

“Young Master!”

“Quick, someone! Master Yi has fainted!”

Noisy voices swirled in his ears. Coupled with a throbbing pain in his head, Zhao Yisen’s consciousness slowly clawed its way back. One second, his memory was stuck on the moment he accidentally tripped and fell from his dormitory balcony; the next, it felt as though he were choking on water, struggling to draw a breath.

Cough, cough!

Zhao Yisen coughed violently and forced his eyes open. A flurry of colorful static danced before his vision. As it cleared, the first thing he saw was a dark brown ceiling and a massive crystal chandelier.

The polished sheen of the ceiling reflected his appearance: a young man with a smooth face, eyes full of hidden affection, and cheeks flushed a deep crimson. He radiated an air of nobility, like a pink rosebud waiting to bloom.

Confused, Zhao Yisen lowered his gaze. At the end of a long corridor lay a champagne-colored hall where people in tailored suits and evening gowns mingled over drinks a scene straight out of a high-society television drama.

Meanwhile, he was sprawled like a landed fish next to some greenery in the hallway. Shards of a broken glass lay before him. Zhao Yisen lifted the hem of his black tailcoat and tugged at the white tie around his neck.

After a moment of daze, he reached out a slender, well-defined finger and touched his face in despair: Did I actually fall to my death…

As the thought crossed his mind, a middle-aged man in a butler’s uniform hurried over, followed by a haggard-looking young man who looked exactly like the resident family doctor found in every “overbearing CEO” novel.

Wang Baobao came to a screeching halt in front of Zhao Yisen, his eyes brimming with tears.

“Young Master, you’re finally awake!”

This emotionally charged sentence caused Zhao, a dedicated reader of web novels, to stop grieving. Instead, his body jolted. Scanning the extravagant surroundings, the plot of the “dog-blood” business romance novel he had just started reading flashed through his mind. His brain buzzed for a few seconds as he realized a staggering fact.

He wasn’t dead. He had transmigrated into a book.

The man before him was a stranger, appearing as anxious as an ant on a hot griddle, yet he hesitated to step forward, maintaining a careful distance from Zhao Yisen.

Zhao Yisen scrambled up against the wall, deciding to figure out the situation first. “Um, I’m still a bit dizzy. Where are we, and what happened?”

And most importantly, who am I?

“…”

Old Wang and the doctor exchanged a terrified look. The latter hastily pulled out a stethoscope and, through his gloves, pressed it to Zhao’s chest. As he conducted the exam, his face grew paler.

Soon, the doctor withdrew his instruments with trembling hands. “The Young Master suffered a lack of oxygen after choking on his wine. Currently, it appears the memory sector of his brain has sustained some damage.”

Wang Baobao’s weary eyes filled with disbelief. He staggered back two steps. “What?!”

He looked up at Yisen, brow furrowed in pain. “The Old Master has been waiting so long for you to settle down and return home for your wedding. The moment the invitations were sent out, the boy you dumped smashed up three streets, and the lady who used to pursue you set fire to three of our villas.”

Zhao Yisen’s gaze went vacant. …Huh?

But the butler didn’t stop, gasping as he spoke, sounding as if he might faint from agitation. Fearing a medical emergency, Zhao Yisen quickly reached out to support the butler’s frail, shaking body. “Actually, I’m mostly fine…”

Suddenly, Wang Baobao snapped his mouth shut. The air became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Old Wang summoned the courage to look into his young master’s eyes. He discovered that those light purple eyes which were usually cold and distant when still, and wickedly demonic when smiling now radiated a sense of pure, simple kindness.

Combined with what the doctor said, Wang Baobao’s legs went weak. He nearly collapsed to his knees.

Zhao Yisen’s guess was correct. He had transmigrated into a book, specifically into the role of a high-popularity cannon fodder male supporting character.

Yi Sen was a classic “Black Moonlight” heartthrob a lunatic devoid of morals or bottom lines. Relying on his stunning face and seductive charms, he tricked the great villain, Gu Jia, into marriage and stole his heart. Seeking thrills, he even attempted to poison Gu Jia several times after the wedding, eventually meeting a gruesome end at the hands of his blackened ex-husband.

Wang Baobao was the butler sent by the elder Master Yi to look after him. Yi Sen had zero affection for his nominal father and treated the butler with nothing but ridicule or cold indifference.

Therefore, when Zhao Yisen supported the stiff butler toward the hall like a Boy Scout helping an elderly lady across the street, Wang Baobao felt his heart was about to give out.

The socialites nearby were equally stunned, but as experts in etiquette, they quickly suppressed their shock and stepped forward with glasses in hand to offer congratulations.

“Congratulations, Master Yi.” “Happy wedding.”

As Zhao Yisen dealt with the crowd, Wang Baobao “leapt” from his master’s side to hide behind him like a startled carp.

Zhao Yisen had never seen such a grand scene. He blinked nervously, but the original owner’s muscle memory took over; his beautiful right hand reflexively snatched a flute of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray.

Crystal glasses clinked. He frowned and forced himself to finish the drink. A drop of red wine slid from his lip and hit the floor with a soft pat.

At this point in the story, Yi Sen had just returned to the country and hadn’t yet dropped his mask of “hypocritical kindness.” The guests were momentarily dazed. This Master Yi was even more captivating in person than in his photos no wonder President Gu was smitten.

In reality, the eighteen-year-old Zhao Yisen only drank soda, but he couldn’t fight the “thousand-glass-capacity” setting of the original character. He had no choice but to drink his way through the room.

The hall was decadently decorated, with three massive chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and a deep red staircase leading to the second floor. Feeling a bit tipsy, Zhao Yisen spotted a crowded figure in the distance and stumbled toward him.

The man had a striking silhouette. The curve of his profile was perfect elegant yet sharp. The men and women around him wore smiles, but unlike the greedy, lustful looks Zhao had seen earlier, these were smiles of fearful flattery.

Zhao Yisen’s heart hammered faster than ever before. As he got closer, the man’s features became even more lethal. He looked like he might be mixed-race; under the light, his pupils shimmered with a hint of dark gold.

The well-wishers didn’t dare linger. Soon, only a few people remained around the man. He pulled a photograph from his breast pocket, flicked a lighter, and held the photo over the flame. It was a picture of two people; the person on one side was being burned into a blackened hole, their features unrecognizable.

Zhao Yisen’s eyelid twitched.

Behind him, Wang Baobao urged: “Young Master, the engagement ceremony is about to begin!”

Zhao Yisen felt a sudden sense of emptiness. Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and the room fell silent. Led by Wang Baobao, Zhao Yisen stood in the center of the hall. He waited curiously for the original owner’s fiancé while stealing glances at the man from before.

As Zhao Yisen peeked, the man suddenly looked up, meeting his eyes directly. Those dark gold eyes were an abyss, filled with a terrifying mixture of resentment, hatred, and mockery.

Wang Baobao, acting like a haunting spirit behind him, reminded him again: “Young Master, you need to greet President Gu!”

The Reborn Villain

Outside the downtown villa, a torrential rain was falling. A flash of lightning cracked across the sky, and Gu Jia jolted awake from a dream. Once he steadied himself, he stared out into the pitch-black night.

Gu Jia reached up and touched the corner of his mouth; there was no trace of blood. On the wall, the television emitted a ghostly blue glow as the weather anchor reported: “A record-breaking typhoon, ‘Maria,’ the strongest in over a decade, has brought historic rainfall to the city…”

Gu Jia’s movements froze. His memory was impeccable. There hadn’t been a storm like this in years. The last time… was the eve of his engagement party twelve years ago.

That marriage was the eternal thorn in Gu Jia’s side. That smiling man had captured his heart with effortless ease and even when he was putting poison in Gu Jia’s tea, he was still smiling.

“My dear, didn’t you say you were willing to die for me?”

From that day on, Gu Jia became a completely different person. The gentle, jade-like gentleman became mercurial and unable to trust anyone. He blamed all his sins on Yi Sen, locking him away and torturing him until the day Yi Sen committed suicide with a smile on his face. At that, Gu Jia finally collapsed.

His company was quickly crushed by his rival, the Lu family. At Yi Sen’s funeral, the Gu Group was declared bankrupt. Gu Jia, his face ashen, had accepted the documents handed to him by his enemy, Lu Ming.

The files contained every single business secret Yi Sen had leaked to the rival. Meeting Lu Ming’s sympathetic gaze, Gu Jia suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.

His phone vibrated. Gu Jia numbly answered. The voice of his assistant sounding much younger came through: “President Gu, the storm might last until morning. Shall we proceed with the engagement party?”

Staring at the year displayed on his phone 2010 Gu Jia fell into a long silence.

He was reborn. He had returned to twelve years ago.

The anger and resentment silted in his chest didn’t explode; instead, they took root like a tree. He suddenly burst into laughter a sound filled with a bone-chilling coldness that made the assistant’s skin crawl.

“…Of course.”

He hung up expressionlessly and pulled the photo he always kept with him from beneath his pillow. It showed two handsome young men. The one on the left was full of spirit, while the one on the right was slightly shorter, but possessed a smile that transcended time.

He stared deathly at the face of his “dead” ex-husband and smiled darkly.