Why are all the heroines falling for me, the villain?

The streetscape of this world is quite nice; even in the depths of winter, it retains its desolate beauty.

Although most people here seem to be in a hurry, there are also those who stop to feed the pigeons and stroll around leisurely.

Li Zhu and Qin Yin walked side by side, leaving Happiness Square. They had just fed the pigeons. In fact, for a long time, they didn't talk much, nor did they rush to the food street. Instead, they just strolled around hand in hand.

Every now and then, Qin Yin would glance at Li Zhu, and Li Zhu would look back at her.

The two tacitly avoided mentioning the food street. Perhaps Qinyin just wanted a chance to spend time together, and that was just an excuse she made up.

Warmth emanated from their tightly clasped hands, and Li Zhu's mindset was subtly shifting. Perhaps building a harem in a harem game wouldn't be so bad... Ugh, what the hell am I thinking?

It was the deeply ingrained monogamy system from his past life that made him suddenly realize the truth, and it was definitely not because the corrupted Yuko was too terrifying.

"That's wonderful. It reminds me of how harmonious my husband and I were when we were young," the elderly women chatting by the roadside said, looking at them with loving eyes.

"I envy this kind of relationship. There's a saying, 'Holding hands...'" The junior high school girls looked at each other with starry eyes.

"Holding your hand, we will grow old together."

"Yes, yes, that's it. This feeling is wonderful. Companionship is the most enduring expression of love."

Amidst the praise and admiration of the crowd, a discordant voice emerged.

"Hehe, in my opinion, being there for someone is not a confession, but a humble compromise."

The man grumbled angrily, staring at Li Zhu with a mixture of disgust and envy, before quietly following her.

"Perhaps... that's right." Hoshino Teru murmured to himself, watching the back of the person who followed.

"Phew, the time's almost right." With that, he took out his phone and made a call.

The two, who were enjoying a leisurely stroll, stopped. Li Zhu took out her phone and said, "Oh, a call is coming in."

"Hey?"

"Hyuga Kotone will be in danger tonight. If you want to avoid danger, come find me in room 707 of the Wright Hotel," Hoshino Teru said bluntly.

Li Zhu glanced at Qin Yin, then looked away. After barely recognizing the voice, he asked, "Hoshino Teru? You still haven't won over Fujiwara Miki?"

“…” Hoshino Teru.

"No, anyway, you're in danger right now. Uh, I've already given you a warning. Whether you come or not is up to you." Hoshino Teru pondered for a moment before replying on the other end of the phone.

Li Zhu found it suspicious and went along with his request, asking, "I can go, but could we go somewhere else?"

Just kidding, he'd have to be crazy to go to the spot where he was supposed to jump off the building in the original storyline.

"Room 707 at the Wright Hotel, remember that name, I'll be waiting for you there." Without waiting for Li Zhu's reply, he hung up.

"Tsk, what's going on?"

Li Zhu was a little confused, but he immediately asked Qin Yin to call Qian Hua and tell her to come and pick Qin Yin up and take her home.

The music was incomprehensible, but the child obediently did as instructed.

After receiving a response from Sister Qianhua, she asked, "Lizhu, what's wrong with you?"

"Hoshino Teru said you're in danger tonight. It's suspicious, but we have to be careful, so he sent Chika to pick you up right away." Riki looked around warily, wondering what the danger was.

Miki Fujiwara?

"Hoshino Teru? Isn't he a member of our disciplinary committee?" Kotone asked in surprise.

"Oh? You know him?"

"Yeah, Hoshino Teru is a guy with a strange personality but he's very smart. Because he doesn't fit in well, he used to be bullied by some people. Miki seems to have helped him, and that's why he joined the disciplinary committee."

"Oh right, he once wrote me a love letter and asked me to give it to Miki, but I seriously rejected it. Miki didn't seem to care when she found out." Kotone recalled this person who was insignificant to her with great difficulty.

"I see." Li Zhu nodded, seemingly having found a clue.

Why did he say I was in danger tonight?

"I don't know. He also told me to go to room 707 of the Wright Hotel, saying he had a solution. Do you think I should go?" Li Zhu didn't hide anything from Qin Yin.

After all, movies and novels are full of stories where the male protagonist hides things from the female protagonist, which ultimately leads to serious consequences. Li Zhu thinks they are all fools.

He just doesn't play by the rules and doesn't care about martial ethics.

Even Hoshino Teru probably didn't expect that Riki would so openly explain everything to Kotone.

“I suspect this is a trap,” Li Zhu expressed her concerns.

"Then maybe we shouldn't go..." Qin Yin said with some concern upon hearing about the danger. "If it really comes down to it, I'll ask Sister Qianhua to go and check on you instead?"

Chika, who was driving, sneezed several times in a row.

"..." Li Zhu looked at her in surprise.

I never expected that Hinata Kotone, such a goofy person, would be so skilled at betraying her teammates.

"Hey, it's my bestie, Kotone-chan," he said with a smile.

Li Zhu's words made Qin Yin blush deeply, and she kept punching his chest with her small fists, much like a couple flirting.

A certain beautiful tree lurking in the shadows was driven nearly mad with jealousy.

……

Chapter 157 Taking Risks

Li Zhu and Qin Yin didn't even go to the food street; they went straight back to the square to wait for Qian Hua.

"Why did Hoshino call you?" As soon as the stray cats saw Kotone, they surrounded her. She squatted down and teased the cats while asking Riki, seemingly not nervous at all.

Li Zhu remained as vigilant as ever, looking around. "I don't know. We're not familiar with each other, and I don't even have his contact information. However, there might be a tiny bit of credibility in what he says."

As he spoke, he was also pondering Hoshino Teru's words. He knew that Hoshino Teru had confessed his feelings to no avail, that Fujiwara Miki had not been dealt with by him, and that he had come to warn Kotone that she would be in danger tonight... All these things together felt a bit strange.

"No, Fujiwara Miki's target can't possibly be Kotone. Hoshino Teru is most likely lying..."

"Assuming Hoshino Teru is lying, is it possible that the person in danger isn't Kotone, but... me? Is it highly likely they're after me? But Hoshino Teru and I have no connection whatsoever; the only 'connector' between us is Fujiwara Miki..."

"Wait, could it be that he was in cahoots with Fujiwara Miki from the beginning, and he's trying to lure me there!" Riki tried to analyze the situation using the worst-case scenario and came to a terrifying conjecture that was very close to the truth.

From the very beginning, when Riki met Hoshino Teru at the amusement park, she had a vague feeling that something was wrong. Why did he arrive just as Fujiwara Miki was there? Sometimes, a person's intuition can bypass all the tedious details and confusing twists and turns and go straight to the core of the problem.

"But isn't this trap a bit too obvious? Do they really think my head is made of dough?" Li Zhu asked, somewhat puzzled.

He couldn't figure it out for a moment, and could only sigh, "If only what this guy said were true, after all, having a hint would make things much easier."

"What have you been muttering about?" Qin Yin stood up and asked curiously.

"I was just thinking about it and I think I might be in danger tonight, so let's get in the car together later. Can you take me home?" Li Zhu wasn't embarrassed at all.

"Okay, sure!" Qinyin readily agreed and then extended an invitation, "Would you like to come over to my place tonight? You won't have to bother me tomorrow morning."

"Want to stay overnight at your place?"

To be honest, Li Zhu was somewhat tempted. The Hinata family's house was definitely safe, but visiting a girl's house and staying overnight were different things. It meant that his relationship with Kotone would take a step forward, so he was weighing the pros and cons.

"Never mind, let's go tomorrow."

They've held hands, kissed, and I don't know what I'm still hesitating about.

"Okay~, I'll wake you up tomorrow." A fleeting look of disappointment crossed Qin Yin's eyes.

I was originally thinking of trying a night raid or something, but it's a pity.

Ding--

The sudden text message notification startled Li Zhu.

[At the three o'clock position, the woman wearing a black hat and a brown coat behind the statue is Miki Fujiwara.]

He pretended to be completely unaware, looking around as before, and quickly spotted someone who matched the description.

"It really is her!"

Without a doubt, the woman's gaze was like a terrifying dark cloud, looming over Li Zhu and Qin Yin.

[Run! She might attack you.] Another text message came in.

At the same time, Miki also received his message: "[You deliberately expose your disguise and go up to them pretending to bump into them.]"

Exposing his disguise? What is Hoshino Teru up to now?!

Hoshino Teru once again broke the original plan.

Don't hesitate, or you'll miss your chance.

Miki cursed inwardly, took off her hat, let her hair fall loosely, and walked straight toward Rin and Zhu.

Seeing this, Li Zhu's eyelids twitched. Although he didn't understand Fujiwara's actions, he quickly turned to Kotone and instructed, "If you trust me, you'd better keep your distance from Fujiwara Miki and be wary. Don't listen to Hoshino Teru either. If I suddenly call you one day but don't have time to say a word, it means I'm probably in a very dangerous situation. You must be prepared..."

"Don't worry, no matter what danger you encounter, I will definitely come to save you!" Qin Yin suddenly said, her clear eyes reminding one of a pale moon in the clear evening sky.

Li Zhu was somewhat moved. In fact, he originally wanted to say something like asking Qin Yin to save him, but he suddenly realized that he hadn't treated others well, yet he was asking them to risk their lives to save him. That would be too selfish of him.

"Damn it, this is making me sink deeper and deeper!" At this moment, his heart was wavering.

Perhaps we should let her use her family's power to resolve this... Ah, never mind, letting Kotone stay at home and protect herself is already the maximum use of the family's power.

“Then I have to try my best to avoid any danger.” He sniffed and said in a low voice.

"I believe you." Qin Yin covered her mouth and smiled. Although she still had many questions in her heart, choosing to believe was the most important thing to do at this time.

"She's here." Li Zhu instinctively pulled Qin Yin behind her.

"Hi~, what a coincidence, good afternoon, Kotone-sama, Riki-kun." Miki shook her head from side to side, brushing aside her disheveled hair to reveal a bright and gentle smile.

Li Zhu ignored her, not even bothering to put on a polite smile.

"Miki?" Kotone was somewhat surprised.

Of course, I wasn't surprised because I ran into Miki; I was surprised that Riki knew she would come.

Qin Yin stepped forward to strike up a conversation, and the two chatted casually for a few more minutes.

"Did Mother send you?" Qin Yin suddenly asked, glancing at Li Zhu to reassure him.

Miki gave Riki a terrifying, ink-black look, a stark contrast to her gentle, watery expression when she looked at Kotone.

"Hmph, what a hypocrite, this guy..." Li Zhu thought to herself, speechless.

"Yes, that's right." Miki pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Does Lady Qinyin want me to take you home?" After saying that, she pursed her lips, her whole hand trembling slightly.

This was one of the few lies she told after leaving the organization. In front of Qin Yin, she always trampled on her own principles and became the person she hated most.

"No need, Sister Qianhua is already on her way."

"OK then."

"Miki, you'll be getting on the bus with us later..." Kotone was in a good mood today, so she talked more than usual.

Li Zhu watched them chat silently from the side, and because of the question, "Did your mother send you?", he had some guesses in his mind.

Fujiwara Miki is very likely to be a "bodyguard" for Kotone.

"No wonder this guy never attacked Qinyin when we were playing games before, no matter how crazy he was. Turns out they're 'family'."

"So it's a story about the strongest bisexual female bodyguard falling in love with a naive, aloof young lady?"

"Then what about Hoshino Teru's involvement? He kept warning me of danger just now. Maybe he's overthinking things?" Rinju's thoughts were a little confused, a result of receiving too much information.

"It's a bit of a mess. Let me sort it out first. Kotone probably likes me, Fujiwara Miki likes Kotone, and then Hoshino Teru confessed to Miki. So who do I like..." Some familiar names surfaced in his mind.

For some reason, Li Zhu recalled a scene from the anime "Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei": On her way home, a girl had a crush on the boy in a couple, so she followed them to and from school. However, the stalker girl also had someone being followed, and the person who followed her was also being followed... In this way, a nested plot unfolded throughout the alley.

"So I'm the outsider who ruined their original relationship? And then I aroused Fujiwara Miki's hostility, and then Hoshino Teru, who deeply loves Miki, was willing to side with her and help her deceive me." Riki quickly figured out the connection.

Kotone should be safe; his own safety is the key. Things have come full circle. Miki remains an insurmountable obstacle for him.

"Sigh, that Fujiwara guy used to say he liked me..." He sighed.

Don't misunderstand, Riki remembers all the humiliation he suffered. He's just lamenting how quickly Fujiwara Miki changed. That guy really embodies the contradictions of human nature to the fullest.

【Although I don't know why, it seems like she doesn't have any feelings for you guys anymore. I was just overthinking it, haha.】Hoshino Teru only just sent this message now.

"..." Li Zhu.

"So I really was overthinking it!" he said, shooing the pigeon off his shoulder in annoyance.

Soon after, a low-key yet luxurious black sedan came to a steady stop beside the group; Qianhua had finally arrived.

"Get on the bus, everyone, let's go home."