At the chip exchange window, Chu Bai’s face was flushed with excitement that he could barely contain. He had just counted his chips and realized he had won thirty-five thousand. This meant he could cover the medical expenses and still have a few thousand left for pocket money.

Chu Bai actually wanted to win more, but being cautious, he feared attracting unnecessary trouble if he drew too much attention. Of course, having tasted success, he didn’t plan to stop. He was ready to switch venues and continue his winning streak. With his ability to see through things, the casino was like his personal ATM. Getting rich was almost too easy.

“I’m done playing, exchange all of it for cash,” Chu Bai handed the chips to the lady at the counter. However, before she could count them, seven or eight young men with unfriendly expressions surrounded him. A man with a scar approached, speaking in a sinister tone:

“Kid, daring to cheat in my place, Sang Kun’s place, are you tired of living?”

“Cheat? How did I cheat? Point it out to me,” Chu Bai felt a bit guilty but tried to remain calm. Although he was technically “cheating,” there was no evidence to prove it.

“That’s a question I should be asking you,” the scarred man glared at Chu Bai and signaled to his underlings, “Grab him and tie him up.”

“Screw you!” Chu Bai, not lacking in combat ability and being quite ruthless, kicked Sang Kun in the lower body when he saw things were going south, knocking him to the ground. The other underlings were shocked and rushed to help their boss. The scene became chaotic.

Chu Bai punched again, knocking down two young men blocking his way, and then made a run for it.

“Boss, boss, are you okay?” A group of underlings helped Sang Kun up. Sang Kun clutched his lower body, grimacing in pain. He never expected a kid who looked under twenty to be so vicious.

“Chase him, quickly, bring him back!” Sang Kun shouted at his underlings. Just for cheating, Sang Kun would at least chop off one of Chu Bai’s hands, and now, after being attacked, he wanted a leg too.

…

In a corner of the street outside the venue, Wang Haoran sat in his Cullinan, watching as someone fled from the entrance. That disheveled figure was none other than Chu Bai. Behind him, seven or eight young men were shouting and chasing. In the chase, they quickly disappeared from view. About five minutes later, the young men returned empty-handed. Clearly, Chu Bai had successfully escaped.

Wang Haoran found this outcome quite normal. Although Chu Bai’s protagonist aura had weakened significantly, he was still the protagonist and couldn’t be easily caught.

[Ding, the host successfully prevented the protagonist Chu Bai from earning his first pot of gold. Chu Bai’s protagonist aura -20, host’s villain aura +20, and gained 200 villain points.]

After all the effort and spending 500,000, there was indeed a reward. Wang Haoran happily checked his panel.

[Host: Wang Haoran]

[Combat Power: 89]

[Charm: 268]

[Villain Aura: 169]

[Villain Points: 500]

[Skills: None]

With 500 villain points, he could draw a prize once, but Wang Haoran decided to hold back. Spending all 500 villain points would leave him with zero. If he encountered a potential female lead or other important supporting characters, he wouldn’t have any villain points to check information. Better to save a few hundred more before drawing.

…

For the rest of the day and a half of the holiday, Wang Haoran kept a close eye on Chu Bai’s movements. After escaping from Sang Kun’s casino, Chu Bai didn’t dare to go to other casinos to continue his winning streak because Sang Kun had sent out a message to his peers.

On Monday, classes resumed as usual. Wang Haoran whistled as he entered the classroom and opened his desk to find it full of envelopes. Wang Haoran opened a few and found they were all love letters from girls confessing to him. This was the trouble of being the school heartthrob. However, reading the love letters was quite enjoyable. Each girl poured out her love, using various expressions to convey her feelings, hoping to win his response.

Although Wang Haoran enjoyed reading them, he didn’t remember any of the girls after going through them. However, there was one unsigned love letter that left a deeper impression. The handwriting seemed familiar to him. But Wang Haoran didn’t delve into it. After reading the unsigned letter, he just tossed it back into the desk.

On the other side, Chu Bai also came to class, but his face looked troubled, clearly preoccupied. Chen Zishi called Chu Bai aside for a talk.

“Did you win any money during the holiday?” Chen Zishi asked with some concern.

“I originally won over thirty thousand, but something unexpected happened, and it’s all… all gone,” Chu Bai said with a frown.

“Didn’t you boast about guaranteed wins? How did you lose?! When can you pay back the thousand you owe me? I need to buy a gift for Wen Jing by the end of the month,” Chen Zishi became anxious.

“Don’t worry, there’s still time before Wen Jing’s birthday. I’ll find a way to pay you back,” Chu Bai reassured him.

“It better be that way!” Chen Zishi was very displeased. Men’s feelings can come quickly, but similarly, conflicts can easily arise because of women. Chen Zishi was infatuated with Wen Jing and had saved a thousand yuan over several months, sometimes even going hungry. He endured so much just to buy a decent gift for Wen Jing. If it all went down the drain because of Chu Bai, one can imagine how angry and frustrated Chen Zishi would be.

…

“Wang, Chu Bai and Chen Zishi almost got into a fight.” Wang Haoran had someone keep an eye on Chu Bai’s actions, and any unusual movements were reported to him immediately. Therefore, after Chu Bai and Chen Zishi’s conversation, someone quickly came to report.

“What did they talk about?” Wang Haoran asked. The underling relayed the conversation between the two clearly to Wang Haoran.

“So, Chu Bai’s initial capital of 1,200 yuan, with 1,000 borrowed from Chen Zishi, means they have a pretty good relationship. Then, Chen Zishi is likely a supporting character in the protagonist’s camp, right?” Wang Haoran speculated. According to urban novel tropes, many protagonists have a chubby best friend. Chen Zishi’s appearance fit the bill perfectly.

“System, check Chen Zishi’s information,” Wang Haoran wanted to confirm.

[Checking requires 100 villain points. Proceed?]

“Yes.”

The interface quickly appeared.

[Important Supporting Character: Chen Zishi (Protagonist’s Camp)]

[Combat Power: 69]

[Charm: 57]

[Supporting Character Aura: None]

[Skills: None]

“Just as I thought,” Wang Haoran confirmed and then asked, “System, if I disrupt the relationship between important supporting characters in the protagonist’s camp, can I gain villain points and aura points?”

[Response to host: Such actions will affect the original plot, and you can gain villain points and aura points as a reward.]

“Understood!” Wang Haoran nodded to himself and began to ponder. Chen Zishi currently had a bit of a conflict with Chu Bai, and the key point was Wen Jing. So, he could start from there. But how should he proceed?

Wen Jing…

As Wang Haoran thought of her, he suddenly realized something. He picked up the unsigned love letter from before, and a smile appeared on his lips. No wonder the handwriting seemed familiar. It was Wen Jing’s handwriting! Wen Jing often stuck small study notes on her desk with her handwriting. Wang Haoran and Wen Jing frequently switched seats, so he had seen it.

“Secretly in love with me? This makes things easier.”