Winning the male lead

A rare diamond lies quietly in the red velvet box, shining with breathtaking light. Its pure natural luster is better than any mechanical polishing, just like the true love that transcends class between Shen Le Tian, the son of Shen Group, and Yu Miao, a third-tier star – from Tianhua Entertainment News.

Like a damn joke…

In the news report, the male protagonist, Le Tian, stared at the image of the green diamond and cursed inwardly: I know I’m going to be cuckolded, but did they really have to make the diamond green? How brain-dead is that?

And putting it in a red velvet box? That’s just ugly—red and green together look like dog shit. What kind of idiot has this kind of aesthetic?

The system spoke: “Prisoner No. 0, watch your thoughts. Too much profanity will be censored.” It deliberately emphasized Prisoner No. 0, reminding Le Tian of his criminal status and warning him not to get cocky.

Le Tian snorted. “What profanity did I use?”

The system repeated precisely: “Damn joke, brain-dead, dog shit.”

Le Tian clapped. “Well said.”

“……” The system was speechless. It really felt like Le Tian needed another electric shock.

Sensing something, Le Tian narrowed his eyes. “Thinking about shocking me again? Electricity is expensive these days. Be careful, or I’ll report you for wasting alliance resources.”

The system remained calm. “If I don’t shock you, you’ll just slack off. If this world fails, you’ll be sentenced to mental exile.”

This time, Le Tian fell silent.

As a guardian of romance worlds, he had fought his way up from a nameless side character to the prestigious position of the second male lead. But the moment he landed his first second-male-lead role, he completely wrecked the storyline.

Then, he proceeded to ruin multiple worlds in a row, setting new destruction records. The alliance sent its most advanced system to hunt him down, chasing him across seven different worlds before finally capturing him in this one—where he had been living comfortably as a rich young master under the alias “Shen” Le Tian.

The system didn’t waste words. It immediately delivered his punishment: From this world onward, you must complete the following task—play the role of the female lead’s husband (or boyfriend) and be cuckolded by a more outstanding male character. This will continue until you have paid for all the worlds you have destroyed.

Le Tian had been living the good life as a pampered young master for over three years and refused outright. So, the system did what it did best—it electrocuted him, then calmly informed him that if he still refused, he would be subjected to mental exile.

Mental exile was a brutal punishment—his consciousness would be thrown into an empty void, with periodic stimuli keeping his mind in an extremely alert state. A normal person could only endure for about seven days before breaking down, and someone with B-level mental strength like Le Tian would last maybe three days at most before going insane.

And going insane while being fully conscious was a fate worse than death.

He had no choice but to surrender.

He pointed at the newspaper featuring a photo of him and Yu Miao, his fiancée-to-be. In the picture, they stood side by side. His face was more visible—he wore silver-framed glasses, looking down at Yu Miao with a slight, unruly smile. His features were refined, blurred like distant mountains. Yu Miao, on the other hand, lowered her face, revealing only a soft, indistinct side profile. Together, they looked like a perfect couple.

Le Tian sighed. Damn, I really am handsome. Even from this unflattering angle, I still look like an aristocratic young master. I have to admit, I’m a masterpiece.

The system ignored his narcissism and simply ordered: “Hurry up and arrange for Shen Lixing to meet Yu Miao.”

Shen Lixing—Le Tian’s uncle. He was the man the system had deemed superior to him in every way, making him the perfect candidate to steal his fiancée.

Le Tian lazily replied, “What’s the rush? The engagement isn’t even official yet. The relationship isn’t stable enough. You have to follow the right steps. This is exactly why you failed to catch me for seven worlds.”

The system resisted the urge to electrocute him again. Instead, it silently told itself: Stay calm. Getting angry is bad for my circuits. I am a noble system. I will not stoop to his level.

Oblivious to the system’s internal struggles, Le Tian tossed the newspaper aside and cheerfully headed upstairs to find Shen Lixing.

The study door was closed, but he didn’t bother knocking—he just walked right in.

Shen Lixing wasn’t there. His desk was piled with documents, and a half-finished cup of coffee sat beside them. Le Tian stared at it for a moment before—on a whim—picking it up.

The cup was exquisite, its thin porcelain walls glowing faintly like jade. A faint coffee-stained lip print was left on the rim.

He stared at it in a daze.

For fuck’s sake. Even his lip print looks better than mine.

Shen Lixing was objectively superior to him in every way—more handsome, richer, bigger where it counted, and better in bed. In the romance world, the heroine always came first, and no one cared if the second male lead suffered.

“Le Tian?”

While he was still zoning out, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

He turned around leisurely. Shen Lixing was still dressed in his work attire—a black dress shirt, tie undone. His neatly combed hair had loosened slightly, a few strands falling over his forehead. He exuded both elegance and casual charm.

Even after three years of living with him, Le Tian still found himself stunned.

Damn. He really is more handsome than me.

He smiled sweetly, raising the coffee cup playfully. “Uncle, aren’t you afraid of going bald from staying up late?”

Shen Lixing chuckled. “Almost done with work.” He walked over, naturally taking the cup from Le Tian’s hand and drinking the cold coffee. He undid the top button of his shirt and, looking slightly tired, asked, “How’s the engagement preparation coming along?”

Le Tian had zero interest in that conversation, so he deflected. “Don’t drink too much coffee. You won’t be able to sleep later.”

Shen Lixing had always been indulgent toward his nephew, so he obediently set down the cup and reached out to ruffle his hair. “Seems like you’ve grown up. You actually care about me now.”

Le Tian lowered his head, letting himself be pampered. Outside, he was a ruthless playboy, but at home, he was Shen Lixing’s sweet little nephew. He had long mastered the art of manipulation, making himself impossible to dislike.

When he first arrived in this world, his original character was an absolute idiot—a rich heir who ran away from home, desperate to prove himself. Le Tian, being far from an idiot, immediately abandoned that nonsense and clung to Shen Lixing instead.

To be fair, the original Shen Le Tian had his reasons for running away.

He wasn’t actually Shen Lixing’s biological nephew.

The situation was messy—long story short, his mother had cheated on his father, making him an illegitimate child. His father, Shen Lixing’s older brother, had died never knowing the truth.

Shen Lixing, twelve years younger than his brother, had been raised by him after their parents died in a plane crash. Their bond was deep—if he ever found out that Le Tian wasn’t really his brother’s son, things would get ugly.

When Le Tian had discovered the truth as an adult, he had only one option: run.

But the system caught up with him.

Now, he was truly stuck.

His future? Lose his privileged young master lifestyle and get cuckolded by Shen Lixing.

This is fucking ridiculous.

Shen Lixing’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Go to bed early. Don’t worry about the engagement—I’ll take care of it.”

Le Tian’s heart ached at the word take care.

Still, he obediently nodded. But as he left, he turned back, looking pitiful. “Uncle… I don’t want to move out.”

Shen Lixing smiled. “Who said you had to?”

Le Tian beamed inside. He can’t bear to part with me.

System: …I want to puke.

The system patiently coaxed him, “In order to complete the mission, this is a necessary sacrifice.”

Le Tian excitedly declared, “To compensate myself, I’ve decided to go to a nightclub tonight and have fun with some ladies!”

System: …Speechless.

Before the system caught him, his character in this world had been that of a notorious playboy. After getting captured, he had no choice but to act as if he had “settled down” after meeting Yu Miao, the female lead, playing the role of a reformed prodigal son.

He bounced happily toward the garage. Though he was already in his twenties, his personality remained lively and mischievous, exuding the carefree aura of a young master. With a smile that could charm anyone, he was adored by the Shen family’s servants and security personnel alike—after all, he was their generous and ever-cheerful young master.

Inside the spacious garage, a dazzling collection of limited-edition luxury cars lined up as far as the eye could see.

“Which baby shall I take for a spin today…” he stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Ah, what a sweet dilemma.”

“The third car to your right looks good,” the system suggested in a ghostly tone.

A dark green Aston Martin.

At this point, Le Tian was sure the system was deliberately mocking him with the color green.

Ignoring its suggestion, he opted for a fiery red supercar that better suited his flamboyant personality.

The roar of the engine sliced through the night as the sports car sped off. Meanwhile, Shen Lixing had just removed his dress shirt when the noise caught his attention. Pausing, he buttoned it back up and walked to the balcony, only to catch a glimpse of a streaking red tail light disappearing past the estate gates.

Resting a hand on the balcony railing, his tall figure cast a shadow as vast as a net. His voice was low as he murmured to himself, “Already engaged, yet still unwilling to settle down.”

“Blue Moon” was the city’s most extravagant and exclusive nightclub, a members-only paradise for the rich. The venue guaranteed privacy, attracting numerous up-and-coming models and actresses hoping to snag a wealthy patron. The so-called “sugar daddies” were more than happy to pay for a good time.

As one of the city’s most famous heirs—and with his recent engagement making entertainment headlines—Le Tian’s arrival instantly drew attention.

He coolly took a seat at the bar, ordering a glass of ice water as he propped his forehead in his hand, exuding an air of aloof elegance. His slender fingers rested lightly on the rim of the glass as he smirked lazily, casting flirtatious glances indiscriminately at anyone watching him.

“Honestly, I’m so handsome. Getting Yu Miao to fall for another man and put a green hat on me is going to be quite difficult,” he mused, praising himself to the system.

The system snorted, “Heh. Turn around.”

He lazily glanced back—and his indifferent expression instantly cracked.

Damn it!

Who was that man holding Yu Miao?

He wasn’t even a fraction as good-looking as him!