I Became the Henchman of a Novel’s Villain

Chapter 11: Take What You Left Behind!

“Get lost!”

As soon as Bai Zhou uttered those words, the four kneeling young men felt as if they’d been granted a great reprieve. Scrambling to their feet, they crawled and ran without daring to look back, as if they had just been pardoned by the King of Hell himself. They made a mental note to avoid “Taohua North Alley” forever.

However, just a few steps into their escape, they heard Bai Zhou’s lazy yet soul-chilling voice: “Stop!!”

Screech!

The four men halted abruptly, freezing in place, trembling slightly as they awaited Bai Zhou’s judgment. His voice drifted over:

“Take what you left behind.”

“What we left behind?”

Momentarily confused, the four exchanged glances. Bai Zhou clearly wasn’t talking about the 50,000 yuan.

“Oh, right! The knives!”

Panic-stricken, they hurriedly returned, awkwardly smiling as they picked up their dropped machetes.

“S-sir … we’ll leave right away!”

With that, they hastily grabbed their weapons and bolted once more. This time, the haunting voice did not follow.

“We’re saved!”

That was their final thought as they disappeared into the night.

After they left, Bai Zhou calmly pocketed the 50,000 yuan from the ground. He then turned to see Tian Niu still standing there, frozen and bewildered. Shaking his head in resignation, he took 500 yuan from the cash bundle and pressed it into her hand, saying: “Go home. It’s too dangerous outside.”

With that, he opened his car door, hit the gas, and drove off. It wasn’t until the dust from his Mercedes blurred her view that Tian Niu snapped out of her daze.

She suddenly realized she was holding 500 yuan and hurriedly ran after him, shouting: “Hey! Big brother! Your money …”

But by then, Bai Zhou and the Mercedes S600L were long gone. Her eyes flickered with emotion as she stared down the dark road ahead. A look of determination crossed her face as she gripped the 500 yuan tightly:  “The world outside is dangerous, but there are still good people! Tian Niu, stay strong. You can survive in the Magic City!”

With that, she turned around, her steps firm and resolute.

Bai Zhou had no idea that his simple gesture, meant to encourage Tian Niu to leave this perilous world, had instead strengthened her resolve to stay. It was entirely unexpected.

But what did it matter to him?

In the original plot, after Chu Yun rescued Tian Niu and learned she was alone in the Magic City, he invited her to stay with him, pretending to be kind-hearted. What a load of crap—he was just lusting after her! That hypocritical protagonist!

But Bai Zhou wasn’t the type to be swayed by women. He had far more exciting things ahead. As for Tian Niu … let fate decide!

Following his memory, Bai Zhou returned to his residence, surprised to find the living quarters were no more than a modest single room. However, it was fully equipped with everything necessary for comfort. More than enough.

After a quick wash, he lay down on the bed. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a golden trophy on the bedside table. Picking it up, he glanced at it, and a realization hit him: “That’s right!” Bai Zhou’s eyes lit up. “I’m a Sanda champion!”

In the original novel, although Bai Zhou was written off after just three chapters, he was quite skilled in combat. Otherwise, Li Tai wouldn’t have trusted him to support his son, Li Yonggang.

“I wonder if I fought the original protagonist, Chu Yun, who would win?”

Honestly, Bai Zhou wasn’t sure. At this point in the timeline, the original protagonist had been training in the mountains and forests but hadn’t yet reached his overpowered stage. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to find a place to sharpen his Sanda skills.

…

The next morning, Bai Zhou was in the middle of a dream when his phone rang. Groggily, he answered, and on the other end was Li Yonggang, Li Tai’s son.

“Hey, Bai Zhou, where are you? I’m all ready!”

“Ready? For what?”

“To apologize to Mu Qingqing at her company!”

Well …

Bai Zhou hadn’t expected Li Yonggang to actually follow through with his plan to apologize to Mu Qingqing. Last night, Bai Zhou had been humoring him with a “fool-the-villain” mindset, giving him a few tips. After all, Bai Zhou believed that most novel villains had IQ problems; how else could they always end up being played by the protagonist, who was just a security captain?

It seemed Li Yonggang’s intelligence was right in line with the original novel.

Rubbing his eyes, Bai Zhou sighed and stared at the ceiling. “Time to get up.”

When Bai Zhou arrived at the public parking lot outside Mu Hai Group, Li Yonggang was already waiting for him, surrounded by his underlings. Bai Zhou nearly burst out laughing when he saw him.

Li Yonggang’s hair was slicked back with way too much gel, shining under the sunlight. He wore a plaid suit that looked like something from a street vendor. He resembled one of those overconfident guys in viral videos trying way too hard to impress a crush.

The icing on the cake was the bouquet of flowers in his hand. He looked like a college kid about to publicly confess to his goddess in front of the entire campus.

Seeing the barely-contained laughter in Bai Zhou’s eyes, Li Yonggang asked curiously: “What? Something wrong with my outfit?”

“No!” Bai Zhou quickly straightened his face and nodded seriously. “You look great! Keep it just like that!”