I’m a Villain! Why Are You Trying to Date Me?

Chapter 44: The Ultimate Showdown Begins! Who’s the Real Protagonist Here?!

The third floor was arranged like a teahouse, with organized seating areas separated by partitions. Though these dividers didn’t offer complete privacy, they provided enough concealment to ensure discreet discussions during the auction. This setup allowed participants a semi-private space for bidding deliberations. Naturally, there were no VIP rooms or anything extravagant. After all, the building itself wasn’t that large.

Xue Xue stood at the center, her light and graceful figure in full view of everyone. A few young people who had accompanied their elders suddenly became much more interested in this seemingly average auction the moment they saw how beautiful the auctioneer was.

Lin Tian was seated with the Zhao family’s father and daughter in the second section from the left. On their right were Xuan Yuan Qingya, Xuan Yuan Xing, and Jiang Yifeng. To the left were Bai Bing’er and her father Bai Ze.

Whether by coincidence or by deliberate choice, both women had picked the seats closest to Lin Tian.

If someone were to look down at this small auction hall from above, they would notice something interesting. Lin Tian was subtly surrounded by four stunning women, each with a distinct aura and style… Directly in front of him was Xue Xue, the auctioneer herself…

Mr. He sat at the side of the stage to oversee things, while Xue Xue opened with a brief but graceful introduction. Without wasting time, the auction officially began.

“The first item up for bidding…”

Xue Xue scanned the room, a sweet smile blooming on her delicate, petite face. Her voice was soft and gentle, tinged with vulnerability.

“Wang Xizhi’s ‘Cursive Calligraphy: Peace Letter’!”

As soon as Lin Tian heard the item’s name, his mind buzzed.

[Holy crap! It is that auction?!]

He remembered this auction vividly. According to the original plot, this event marked the beginning of Jiang Yifeng’s domination of Licheng’s business world. After this auction, Jiang would rapidly expand and devour nearby business forces, eventually taking over nearly all of them.

The purpose of this auction in the original story was to introduce the major players who would appear soon—like the Meng family of Huancheng, the Li family of Tian’an, the Zhou family of Licheng, the Xinghui Guild of Xingcheng, and so on. But in the original version, Jiang Yifeng didn’t appear with Xuan Yuan Qingya. He was with Bai Ze, and by that point, the Zhao family had already become his vassals. The only Zhao member who attended with Jiang was Shang Chan.

Now, everything had changed. Not only was the auction happening months earlier than scheduled, but the participants were different. The Zhao family was still a top clan in Licheng, and surprisingly, even the mysterious “Star Master” Xuan Yuan Xing had shown up. The moment Lin Tian saw Xuan Yuan Xing’s resemblance to Xuan Yuan Qingya, he guessed his identity.

Another major difference was, this auction was supposed to be invite-only for major powers. Lin Tian originally wouldn’t even have been qualified to attend. And Jiang Yifeng, once aligned with the Bai family, was now clearly siding with the Xuan Yuan family.

And the final major change: the auctioneer. In the original, by the time this auction took place, Xue Xue had already joined Jiang Yifeng’s harem, and she definitely wasn’t hosting any auctions anymore. Back then, it was Mr. He who presided over the event. Now, it seemed even Xue Xue had become a new variable in this altered plot.

As Lin Tian quietly observed the various shifts in the auction hall, his expression remained cautious.

From the outside, it might look like he was enjoying himself, surrounded by the dazzling Zhao women and with two more stunning ladies on either side clearly interested in him.

In reality, Lin Tian was as tense as a coiled spring! With both the male and female leads present and clashing, every other person in this room was a business-world heavyweight. Lin Tian had absolutely no desire to get involved. One wrong move, and he might not leave alive…

Even if he didn’t do anything, if one of the women acted overly interested in him, Jiang Yifeng might take it the wrong way. That man held some serious grudges. If Jiang ever discovered Lin Tian had contact with the women he “claimed,” Lin might go from minor villain to main antagonist in his eyes. Never underestimate how jealous a male protagonist can get when it comes to women…

Because of all this, Lin Tian had no interest in the actual auction proceedings.

Besides, the truly important items would only appear in the secret bidding session at the end. Among them were two artifacts vital for Jiang Yifeng’s advancement into the “Heavenly Medicine Sacred Body.”

What did that mean, you ask?

In the original story, Jiang Yifeng’s two biggest assets were:

His master, the renowned elder Medicine Saint.

This old man was respected throughout China, with many high-ranking people owing him favors: Xuan Yuan Xing, military leaders, and other powerful elites. When Jiang came knocking, they would repay those debts and back him unconditionally.

His unique constitution, the Heavenly Medicine Sacred Body, which had two aspects: Heavenly Medicine which helped master medical arts without obstacles, making him a natural-born healer. And Sacred Body which gave him incredible physical strength.

To illustrate just how ridiculous the latter was: by the end of the novel, Jiang Yifeng literally blocked a missile with his bare hands.

Yeah, it sounds insane, but that’s how powerful the Sacred Body was. And this wasn’t even a fantasy novel. It was a typical urban power-fantasy story!

In a setting like this, even being able to toss people around like rag dolls would already make someone a peak powerhouse. Yet this Sacred Body received a critical upgrade because of two items in this very auction. So, yeah. This auction was a huge deal.

Still, aside from those two items, most of the offerings were just calligraphy, antiques, collectibles, and the like.

All Lin Tian wanted was to make it through the event in one piece. Competing with Jiang Yifeng for those two key artifacts? Absolutely not.

Even when it came to the sandalwood box from before, Lin Tian had agonized for ages before deciding to go for it, only after ensuring Jiang wouldn’t be present.

[Not that things hadn’t gone a bit sideways anyway…]

But right now? Jiang Yifeng was sitting just one screen away.

Lin Tian was only staying calm because he’d analyzed the situation and figured Jiang probably didn’t recognize him yet.

You want him to just casually walk over and snatch Jiang’s destiny item? Come on.

Even in the original novel, those two artifacts resonated with Jiang’s Sacred Body. That’s what prompted him to act. If Lin Tian dared to intervene now, he’d basically be volunteering to get himself killed.

And don’t think Lin Tian was just being cowardly or timid. This wasn’t about courage. This was about survival.

The protagonist who could squash Lin Tian like a bug was sitting right next to him. Lin Tian knew better than to pick a fight. As for his system? It might as well be dead. Not even a starter pack had been delivered yet!

A transmigrator, you say? Yeah, Lin Tian’s only real advantage was bringing his brain along for the ride.

He knew deep down that he had no qualifications to go up against Jiang Yifeng. That man was the CEO of Fengchen Group and heir to the Medicine Saint. He could rebuild his empire in a week if it collapsed.

And Lin Tian? Aside from being in the investment department…Wait, scratch that. He was in security now.