Lin Yu's eyes snapped open.
A sharp, painful gasp tore from his throat, his chest heaving as if he'd been drowning. His hands clawed at the silk sheets—wait, silk sheets?
He froze.
Blinking against the harsh morning light, he looked around. This wasn't his cramped, damp apartment where he had drawn his last, miserable breath. This was… a bedroom. A ridiculously huge, obnoxiously luxurious bedroom. The morning sun streamed through floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating a room bigger than his entire previous apartment. A giant, abstract painting that probably cost more than a car was hanging on the wall opposite his bed.
This was his old room. In the Lin family mansion.
"What the hell…?" he mumbled, his voice rough with sleep and confusion.
He scrambled out of the massive bed, his bare feet sinking into the plush, white carpet. He stumbled to the gold-trimmed vanity mirror. Staring back at him wasn't the gaunt, hollow-cheeked man in his forties, broken by life and regret. It was a young man in his early twenties. His face was unlined, handsome in a sharp, arrogant way. His hair was perfectly styled, even in sleep. He was wearing ridiculously expensive silk pajamas.
This was his body. From ten years ago.
A torrent of memories, bitter and painful, flooded his mind. The Lin Corporation. His family's vast empire was built on real estate, luxury jewelry, and their secret, highly profitable underground fighting clubs. He had been the heir to all of it—the quintessential rich second-generation villain.
And he had thrown it all away for a woman who despised him.
Su Lingye. The daughter of the rival Su Group. He had seen her at a high-society party and become obsessed. As the villain in this story, he didn't know how to express love. He thought threats and power were the way. He had followed her, pestered her, and even set up lying traps to sabotage her family's business, thinking it would force her to come to him.
That's when he appeared.
Ye Chen.
The so-called Dragon King. A powerful cultivator who descended into the modern world with immense strength and even greater wealth. He was the hero who "saved" Su Lingye from Lin Yu's clutches. He exposed the traps, saved the Su Group, and made Lin Yu look like a pathetic, scheming fool.
Of course, Su Lingye fell madly in love with her heroic savior.
What followed was a brutal, systematic destruction. Ye Chen, with his mysterious power and influence, bankrupted the Lin Corporation. Their assets were seized, their reputation destroyed. His father died of a heart attack from the shame. His mother followed soon after.
Lin Yu, the once-proud young master, was left with nothing. He became a nobody, a ghost on the street, forced to watch from the shadows as Ye Chen's legend grew. He collected a harem of beautiful, powerful women—CEOs, pop stars, assassins—all falling for his effortless charm and power. Lin Yu died alone, sick, and filled with a bottomless regret. He was the cautionary tale, the stepping stone for the true protagonist.
And now… he was back.
He had been reborn into the past, right at the beginning of his downfall. He had only just started his foolish campaign to pester Su Lingye. She was disgusted with him, but the real damage hadn't been done yet. Ye Chen hadn't entered the picture.
A slow, cold smile spread across Lin Yu's face, a stark contrast to the youthful features in the mirror. The arrogance of his youth was gone, replaced by the cold, hard calculation of a man who had already lost everything once.
"So, I get a second chance," he whispered to his reflection, his voice steady now. "Good."
This time, things would be different. He knew all the plot points. He knew how Ye Chen operated. He knew who would join Ye Chen's harem and when.
He wouldn't be the pathetic villain this time.
Lin Yu was going to play a different game. And he was going to win.
Just as Lin Yu was mentally mapping out his glorious, revenge-filled future, a voice—completely devoid of emotion—echoed directly inside his skull.
[Ding! The host's intense resentment and desire to defy destiny have been detected. The Ultimate Villain Hint System is now bound! ]
Lin Yu jumped, nearly knocking over a ridiculously expensive-looking vase. "What the hell? Who's there? Is this a side effect of time travel? Brain tumor?"
[This is not a tumor. This is your golden finger, you idiot. ]
"Hey! A system that insults its user? What kind of crappy service is this?" Lin Yu shot back, already feeling a strange camaraderie with this disembodied voice. It was better than talking to himself.
Let's skip the pleasantries. I am here to assist you in your path of villainy and surviving in this new, messed-up world. ]
"New world? What are you talking about?"
[ Scanning world parameters... Confirmed. This is no longer a simple 'Dragon King in the City' storyline. Due to unknown cosmic phenomena, the worlds of multiple light novels have merged. You are now in a fusion world, and you, my unfortunate host, are the cannon fodder villain in several of them. ]
Lin Yu's eye twitched. "You mean I'm not just Ye Chen's stepping stone? I'm a universal punching bag?"
Essentially, yes. But fear not! With this system, you can flip the script. Let's go over the functions.
A semi-transparent blue screen materialized in front of his eyes.
--- SYSTEM FUNCTIONS ---
1. Protagonist Hint Module:
Provides key plot points and information about targeted "protagonists" in the world.
Host's Role: Use these hints to interfere, sabotage, or outright steal the protagonist's opportunities.
Reward: Successfully changing your destined failure grants you Villain Points (VP). Accumulate VP to unlock special abilities to resist the protagonist's plot armor.
Lin Yu whistled. "So, I get spoilers for my own life? Nice. I always hated surprises."
2. Multi-Protagonist Unlock:
This world contains multiple protagonists. Their stories are interwoven.
Defeating or disposing of one protagonist will unlock the next one in the sequence.
Warning: They may also interfere with each other. Use this to your advantage.
"Like a boss rush? Fantastic. Just what I always wanted," Lin Yu muttered sarcastically.
3. Heroine Subversion System:
Key female characters (heroines) are bound to protagonists by "fate strings."
By making a heroine fall genuinely in love with you, you can sever her Fate String with the protagonist.
Benefit: You steal "Destiny Points" from the protagonist, weakening his "Hero Aura."
Use Destiny Points to purchase "Aura Disruption" skills, making heroines resistant to the protagonist's charm.
Lin Yu's smirk returned, wider this time. "So, my new part-time job is home wrecker? I can work with that. Stealing his girls and his luck? Now that's a proper villain's hobby."
[ I see you're catching on. Now, let's identify your first target. ]
The screen changed, displaying a profile.
--- TARGET: PROTAGONIST 001 ---
Name: Ye Chen
Title: The Rising Dragon King (Not Fully Realized)
Background: Orphaned as a child, he was found and raised by a mysterious, immortal master on a secluded mountain. He has trained in ancient martial arts and cultivation techniques for over a decade.
Current Goal: To establish his dominance in the city by subjugating the four major underground factions and uniting them under his banner, officially claiming the title of "Dragon King."
Secret Desire: He harbors a deep, forbidden lust for his own master, a peerlessly beautiful and powerful immortal who has walked the earth for a thousand years. He is not yet strong enough to act on these feelings.
Lin Yu burst out laughing. "Oh, this is priceless! The noble hero has an Oedipus complex for his teacher? And she's a thousand-year-old loli? Or a milf? Either way, what a cliché! His 'pure love' for Su Lingye doesn't seem so pure now, does it?"
His eyes then scanned down to the list of faction leaders Ye Chen needed to defeat. His smirk turned into a leer.
[ FACTION LEADERS (YE CHEN'S TARGETS/POTENTIAL HAREM MEMBERS) ]
"Scarlet Phoenix" Qin Yiyi: Leader of the "Crimson Pavilion." Controls the city's entertainment and nightlife. A seductive and fiery woman who uses her charm as a weapon.
"Ice Lotus" Leng Xue: Leader of the "Frostwind Alliance." Controls logistics and transportation. A cold, unapproachable beauty who is all business.
"Shadow Viper" An Jing: Leader of the "Silent Dagger Guild." Controls information and assassination. A mysterious, dangerous beauty who moves in the shadows.
"Golden Abacus" Huang Jingshu: Leader of the "Wealth Manor." Controls the underground economy and finances. A shrewd, calculating beauty with a mind for numbers.
"Wow," Lin Yu whistled, impressed. "He doesn't just want to be the Dragon King; he wants to collect the entire set of 'Badass Beauty Faction Leaders.' Ambitious. And greedy."
Finally, his eyes landed on the heroine list. Only one name was unlocked.
--- HEROINE STATUS: SU LINGYUE ---
Affection for Host (Lin Yu): -25 (Disgusted)
Affection for Protagonist (Ye Chen): 0 (Haven't Met)
A vein bulged on Lin Yu's forehead. "Minus twenty-five?! What did I even do? Send her a few too many flowers? This girl holds a grudge."
He took a deep breath, his sarcastic smile returning. "Well, it's better than minus fifty. And zero is a very beautiful number. It means there's a clean slate. Time to get to work."
He cracked his knuckles, staring at the system screen.
"Alright, System. First order of business: Let's ruin Ye Chen's day. Show me a hint. What's his first 'heroic' act going to be?"
[ Calculating... Hint Generated! ]
[Plot Point: In three days, the head of the Su Group will face a fabricated corporate crisis, orchestrated by you in the original timeline. This will be Ye Chen's opportunity to 'save' Su Lingyue and make his grand entrance.
Lin Yu's eyes gleamed. "Perfect. So, I just have to... save her myself? Oh, the irony is going to be delicious."