Chapter3.Strictly adhere to the three major survival rules for villains.

Leo, the War God, was itching for a fight.

This was his chance to show off his skills!

But that damn Ryan… why wasn't he acting like the arrogant villain he was supposed to be?

Instead, Ryan was frantically holding back a dozen of his own men, sweating bullets and looking like a complete mess.

What the hell was he doing?

Just let them come at me! I'm begging you!

I need this experience boost so badly!

If I don't get to flex today, I won't be able to wrap this up properly!

Meanwhile, Ryan had made up his mind.

[No way am I letting you farm experience points off my guys! Not today!]

[From now on, you're the boss. You're the god. Whatever you say goes. I won't argue.]

[If you can take Emily, go ahead. If not, that's on you. Just leave me out of it!]

Leo was losing his mind.

"Uh… Ryan, do you have a problem with me?"

Ryan, finally managing to calm everyone down, spread his arms to block the group of bodyguards:

"No, no! I'm totally fine with you! I think you and Emily are a great match. Send me an invite to the wedding, and I'll bring a gift!"

Leo, with all his pent-up energy and nowhere to release it, was pacing in frustration:

"How about you just let them come at me? They're here for you, after all."

"No, no, don't worry. As long as I'm here, they won't lay a finger on you!"

Ryan turned to the bodyguards and shouted, "If anyone moves, I'll kill them myself!"

Emily, watching all this, realized that Ryan really did seem to know something about the future.

And now, the whole situation had taken a bizarre turn.

It looked like Ryan was doing everything he could to keep the peace, while Leo was the one trying to stir up trouble.

Emily, now fully aware of Leo's true nature, snapped, "Leo, that's enough! Get out! Now! Or I'm calling the police!"

Leo's face turned ashen.

He was the mighty War God, revered across the borderlands. No one had ever dared to humiliate him like this.

And yet, today, he was being treated like a common thug.

"Fine! I'll leave. But Emily, remember this: no matter where you are, no matter what danger you face, I'll always be there to protect you. Even if it means standing against the entire world!"

Emily, barely containing her disgust, pointed toward the exit. "Just go."

Leo had nothing left to say.

His face dark with anger, he turned and shot Ryan a venomous glare.

Ryan, on the verge of tears, whispered nervously, "It's really not my fault. I… I don't get it either. You must be really frustrated, huh?"

Leo snorted, then stormed off.

Ryan nearly threw up in the bathroom.

After several rounds of transmigration, he had summarized three ironclad rules for surviving as a villain:

Never provoke the protagonist. That's the fastest way to get yourself killed.

The protagonist is the kind of guy who'll come after you even if you don't provoke him. If you do provoke him? You're dead meat.

Stay away from the protagonist's women. Those brainwashed girls are toxic. When the protagonist kills you, they'll just cheer him on and throw themselves at him.

Never do anything evil.

If the protagonist catches you doing something bad, congratulations—you've just become his experience points, a stepping stone for his grand journey.

Ding!

A system notification popped up:

"Congratulations, host! You've completed the initial survival test with a difficulty rating of one star. As a reward, we've prepared a little something for you!"

Ryan: "What's the reward?"

"A sports car!"

Ryan's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? I'm the heir of the Anderson family, the richest of the four major families in Snow City! I just survived a brush with Leo, and you're giving me a car?"

"Host, don't be so quick to judge! This car is special!"

"What's so special about it?" Ryan yelled.

"It has four wheels!"

"You—"

Ryan took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "What's going on with Emily? According to the plot, she was supposed to leave with Leo. What's happening now?"

"We don't have detailed information about Emily's situation. If you want to know more, you'll have to talk to her yourself."

"Talk to her? Leo was already giving me death glares! If I talk to her, he'll kill me!" Ryan was on the verge of a breakdown.

After venting, Ryan slumped down. "Please, just figure out a way to get them together. If this keeps up, I'm gonna die!"

"Don't worry, host! Our goal is indeed to make your life as difficult as possible!"

"You—!"

In Mr. Anderson's study.

Mr. Anderson sat sternly behind his desk. "Sit."

Ryan nervously took a seat.

"Explain yourself. What are you scheming this time?"

"I'm not scheming anything!" Ryan was baffled.

"Hmph! You think you can fool me? I know exactly what kind of person you are." Mr. Anderson's voice was firm. "Listen carefully. You'd better straighten up and treat Emily right, or you'll regret it."

Ryan sighed. "She's not going to marry me. Everyone in Snow City knows how much she hates me."

"Then why did she suddenly do a complete 180 and agree to the engagement today?"

"I really don't know! I'm just as confused as you are!"

"And why did you suddenly start acting all high and mighty, refusing the engagement?"

"I… I'm just a man of great love!"

Mr. Anderson narrowed his eyes. "You're becoming more shameless by the day."

Ryan was too exhausted to argue.

"Take a gift with you. You're going to visit your god-grandfather later."

Ryan blinked. "My god-grandfather?"

Oh, right.

The basic setup of this novel:

Snow City was dominated by four major families: the Andersons, the Harrisons, the Wilsons, and the Bennetts.

The Andersons were the most powerful, followed by the Harrisons and the Wilsons. The Bennetts had been struggling in recent years and were on the verge of collapse.

It was only thanks to Emily taking over and turning things around that the Bennett family managed to stabilize.

That's why the Bennetts were so eager for this marriage alliance.

They weren't blind to Ryan's flaws, but the Andersons were the only family in Snow City with both the means and the willingness to save the Bennetts.

So, for the sake of their family's survival, they had no choice but to agree to the engagement.

Deep down, they looked down on Ryan.

This was the frustrating part of the novel.

Ryan's villain persona was almost perfect: tall, handsome, wealthy, talented, and the young CEO of Anderson Group, a powerhouse in the business world.

But despite being at the top of the food chain in the real world, he was reduced to a simp for Emily, the female lead.

Everything about him was designed to make the protagonist's victory more satisfying.

The more impressive the villain, the more satisfying it is for the protagonist to crush him, right?

For Emily, Ryan had used his influence to provoke the protagonist, only to be humiliated, beaten, and eventually killed…

That was the fate of this perfect little villain.

To survive, Ryan had to avoid all conflict with the protagonist.

The primary conflict? His relationship with Emily.

He had to stay as far away from her as possible.

If he could just make it to the end of the story, he could return to the real world with his rewards, become a high-flying CEO, marry a beautiful woman, and live the dream!

And, most importantly, he could cure his mother's illness.

The Anderson family had been in Snow City for generations and had good relationships with the Harrison, Wilson, and Bennett families.

In particular, Mr. Anderson had even sworn brotherhood with the Harrison family's patriarch, making him Ryan's god-grandfather.

Recently, God-grandfather Harrison had fallen ill, and the Andersons had all visited him—except Ryan, who had been too busy playing around.

Bring a gift, say hello, and then get the hell out of there!

Yes, that's the plan!

As soon as Ryan stepped outside, he saw the big guy he'd tackled earlier rallying a group of men.

The big guy, Jack, was fuming. "Is everyone here?"

Thirty bodyguards stood in formation and shouted, "Yes!"

"Good!"

Jack, still seething, barked, "Ryan's engagement was ruined by that bastard Leo! Can we let this slide?"

The crowd roared, "No!"

"That's right! Ryan is our boss. In Snow City, only Ryan gets to bully others and do whatever he wants. No one gets to mess with Ryan!"

The crowd raised their fists and chanted, "Bully others! Do whatever we want! Bully others! Do whatever we want!"

Jack raised a hand, and the crowd fell silent instantly, perfectly in sync.

"So! We're going to find Leo, beat him up, and restore Ryan's honor!"

"Find Leo! Beat him up! Bully others! Do whatever we want! Bully others! Do whatever we want…"

Ryan rushed over and grabbed Jack. "What are you doing?"

"Oh! Ryan, you're here!" Jack said excitedly. "Ryan, I have nine ways to destroy Leo. Nine! Just leave it to me!"

Ryan kicked him in the butt. "Are you out of your mind?"

Ryan looked at the thirty muscular young men. "And stop shouting about bullying others so loudly. I have a reputation to maintain!"

Jack scratched his head, confused. "But Ryan, you've always been… kind of shameless."

Ryan trembled with anger. "Well, I'm trying to be better now, okay?"

"Oh!" Jack turned to the crowd. "Listen up! From now on, Ryan wants to be a hypocrite! Understand?"

The crowd raised their fists and chanted, "Be a hypocrite! Be a hypocrite!"

Ryan roared, "Get out of here! All of you!"

One guy, still muttering as he walked away, raised his fist. "Be a hypocrite…"

Ryan lunged at him. "You little brat, don't you dare walk away! I'm gonna kill you!"

Jack held him back. "Ryan, Ryan, calm down! This is all part of the training you asked for! They're just used to it."

Ryan panted, trying to catch his breath. "You trained them?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I get what you're saying now. That beggar Leo, I'll make sure he—"

Ryan grabbed him. "Jack."

"Yes, Ryan?"

"We're brothers."

Ryan spoke with sincerity.

He had to. It was clear that this guy was too reckless and single-minded. There was no reasoning with him.

And if Jack kept this up, all the blame would fall on Ryan, and Leo would still come after him.

So, he had no choice but to sweet-talk him.

Jack was moved to tears. "Ryan, I'm not worthy. I'm just a—"

Ryan cut him off. "If we're brothers, then don't come after me! Listen, from now on, tell everyone to stay away from Leo. Got it?"

"But why?"

Jack looked genuinely confused.