Chapter2.I must not give the protagonist any reason to hit me today!

The entire room fell silent.

What was happening?

What the hell was happening!?

For three years, Ryan had been clinging to Emily like a leech, using every underhanded trick to scare off any man who dared get close to her. All for the sake of winning her over.

And for those three years, Emily had exploded at the mere mention of the engagement, acting like she'd rather die than marry Ryan.

But today… the tables had turned?

Ryan didn't want to marry her anymore, and Emily was the one agreeing to it?

Ryan was completely losing his mind!

He turned to Emily, his face a mask of shock and confusion.

In his mind:

[Sis, what are you doing? Agreeing to the engagement? What kind of nonsense is this? You're supposed to be Leo's harem member! You're supposed to be licking his shoes! If you keep this up, Leo's gonna kill me!]

[That guy's been scheming to get close to you, pretending to be weak so he can show off at the right moment and win you and your family over.]

[Then you'll throw yourself at him, your family's fortune will fall into his hands, and everything will go according to the plot! So why are you messing this up!?]

Emily looked at Ryan with a cold smile.

You want to call off the engagement?

Did you ask me?

You've been annoying me for three years, and now you think you can just walk away? And you're so sure I'll end up as some security guard's harem member?

Well, today, I'm going to make you suffer!

I want to see how this so-called Leo plans to drag me into his harem!

And besides, the sudden ability to hear Ryan's inner thoughts had left Emily deeply shaken. Ryan seemed to know a lot of strange things.

She didn't know what he was up to, but for now, making sure none of his plans succeeded was definitely the best course of action.

The two families began chatting excitedly, discussing the wedding plans, their future life together, and even who would take care of their future grandchildren…

Ryan pulled Emily aside, his voice urgent. "Emily, are you feeling okay today? Like, are you sure you're not… sick or something?"

Emily snorted. "I think you're the one who's not okay."

Ryan took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Alright, alright, let's not argue. But this engagement… we can't go through with it. Seriously, we need to fix this."

Emily felt a surge of victory.

For three years, she'd been powerless against this scoundrel.

He was shameless, clingy, and willing to use any dirty trick to get his way.

She had been driven to the brink of madness by him.

But now, seeing him sweating and panicking, Emily felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

I'm going to make you suffer, you jerk!

Ryan pressed on. "Emily, are you just agreeing because of the family pressure? Think about it—am I annoying?"

"Extremely."

"Am I disgusting?"

"Very."

"Do you hate me?"

"With every fiber of my being."

"Then why do you still want to marry me?"

"Because I do."

Ryan stared at her, completely baffled. Suddenly, he realized he didn't know this woman as well as he thought he did.

By now, the two families had finalized the details and were ushering Ryan and Emily into the garden for the announcement.

Ryan's mind was still reeling.

Standing on the stage next to Emily, he couldn't stop thinking:

[This is it. I'm doomed. In a few minutes, Leo's gonna burst in, break my leg, and take Emily away.]

[Is this just my fate? Even though I know how the story's supposed to go, there's nothing I can do to change it?]

[Emily's acting so weird! She's supposed to hate me! What's going on today!?]

Emily narrowed her eyes, listening to Ryan's thoughts. She was even more shocked now.

This guy not only had inner thoughts she could hear, but he also seemed to "know how the story would unfold"?

Would Leo really step forward and oppose this?

The host, clearly excited, announced to the crowd: "Ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to announce, on behalf of the Anderson and Bennett families, that Ryan Anderson and Emily Bennett will be engaged next month on the tenth…"

"I object!"

A voice rang out from the crowd. A security guard stepped forward—none other than the novel's main protagonist, Leo.

The host frowned. "Someone get this lowly security guard out of here!"

Ryan's legs turned to jelly at the sight of Leo. He instinctively took a step back.

Emily glanced at Ryan, her heart racing.

He was right!

Leo walked up to the host, who tried to push him away, only to be thrown off the stage with a single motion.

Emily glared at Leo. "Leo, what do you think you're doing?"

Leo grabbed Emily's shoulders. "Emily, don't worry. I won't let anyone force you into anything. Your destiny is your own to control."

If this were following the original plot, with Ryan being a clingy jerk and the Anderson family pressuring her, Emily might have been moved by Leo's heroic intervention.

After all, Leo had recently impressed her with his skills during an incident, earning her respect and even a promotion to her personal bodyguard.

But with Ryan's earlier thoughts echoing in her mind, everything felt different now.

Emily only felt disgusted. This guy had been scheming to get close to her, plotting to take over her family's fortune. He was even more repulsive than Ryan!

She pushed his hands away. "Leo, you're just my bodyguard. My family matters are none of your concern."

"Emily, I know you're worried. But don't be afraid. As long as I'm here, no one can force you into this marriage."

Ryan nodded along.

[Of course, you're the hero.]

[You've got a whole speech prepared, right? Go ahead, say it. As the War God, you need to make sure everyone knows you're on the side of justice.]

[Let the show begin!]

Leo turned to the crowd, his voice booming.

"The so-called elite families of Snow City, instead of earning their wealth through legitimate means, are willing to sacrifice a young woman's happiness for their own gain! Do you have no shame? Do you even care about Emily's well-being?"

Ryan clapped behind him.

[Bravo! Emily, it's your turn. Cry for him!]

[He's said all that—if you don't cry now, it'll be weird. Seriously, cry!]

Emily shot Ryan a cold glare, her eyes burning with humiliation and anger.

Ryan awkwardly lowered his hands and pretended to look elsewhere.

Leo continued. "Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, Emily is your daughter. How can you bear to push her into this pit of despair? Everyone in Snow City knows what kind of scum Ryan is. Are you really willing to sacrifice your daughter to someone like him?"

Emily snapped, "My affairs are none of your business, Leo! You're fired. Leave now."

Leo was stunned.

Huh!?

This… wasn't how things were supposed to go!

The crowd began murmuring.

"Who does this guy think he is? How rude!"

"This is a private family event, and he's causing a scene? What a creep!"

"He's just a security guard, and he thinks he can go after the Bennett heiress?"

"Someone get this guy out of here!"

Ryan was sweating bullets.

[Why are you all yelling so loud? Once he's pissed off enough, he's gonna start throwing punches!]

[Calm down, everyone!]

Just then, a burly man from the Anderson family charged forward, grabbing Leo by the collar. "You think you can mess with the Anderson family on our big day? You wanna see what these fists can do?"

Leo smirked.

A mere mortal. I could kill you with a flick of my finger.

Leo closed his eyes, tilting his head back. This was it—the moment he'd been waiting for. His first step to fame, glory, and beautiful women!

He took a deep breath, then opened his eyes, his aura radiating dominance. "If you want a fight, then I'll show you what it means to be a War God! Today, I'll—"

Thud.

The big guy suddenly disappeared.

Leo looked down to see Ryan had tackled the man to the ground.

The man struggled to get up and fight Leo, but Ryan held him down, the two of them rolling around in a heap.

"Bro! Calm down! Calm down!" Ryan pleaded.

He had to stop this!

This guy was the first sacrifice to the protagonist. Once Leo took him out, Ryan's leg was next.

And Ryan really didn't want his leg broken!

Ryan was on the verge of tears. "Bro, it's not worth it… please, for my sake…"

The man paused. "Ryan… you're calling me 'bro'?"

Ryan, panting from the struggle, nodded. "Yeah, bro. For life."

The man's eyes welled up with tears. "Ryan, someone like you calling me 'bro'… I'll take care of this guy for you!"

Leo grinned. "Bring it on! Let's go!"

Ryan held the man down, gritting his teeth. "If you're really my bro, don't move!"

The man froze.

Emily shouted, "Leo! Are you done yet? Get out! I said get out!"

Leo was baffled.

"Emily, are the Andersons threatening you? Don't worry, the Anderson family is nothing to me. They're just ants."

Emily felt like she was going to explode.

This dialogue was so cringy!

"Leo, you're fired. You can collect three months' salary. Now get out before I say something I'll regret."

Leo "understood."

Emily must be under pressure from the Andersons. She doesn't know I'm the War God, and she's trying to protect me by pretending to push me away.

How noble of her!

My woman truly has a heart of gold!

Even Ryan was thinking the same thing.

In his mind, he was screaming:

[Sis, you don't need to protect him! I'm harmless, I swear! Please, just go with him! The less I'm involved in this mess, the better!]

Emily looked down at Ryan, who was still lying on the ground, pinning the sobbing security guard. For some reason, she found the whole scene oddly amusing.

She had never seen any redeeming qualities in Ryan before, but his frantic, flustered state was somehow… endearing.

Emily couldn't help but laugh. "Ryan, get up."

Leo turned to Ryan, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Ryan flinched.

[Oh no! Why is he mad at me? I didn't do anything!]

Just then, a group of bodyguards came rushing in.

"Brothers! Someone's trying to steal Ryan's girl! Let's take him down!"

They charged at Leo, armed with batons.

Ryan's heart sank.

He's the War God!

You guys are just experience points to him! Don't make this worse!

Once he's done with you, my leg is next!

[Heaven and earth, is this dungeon really this hard to clear!?]