Master’s Smile - Chapter 55: Elixir

Tachikawa Shin always thought he was a decent, upright man—unfortunately, he’d been saddled with an indecent favorability system.Raise others’ affection to grow stronger?“I’d rather stay away from these witches, but this concerns my safety and physical integrity... Well, it seems I don’t have a choice,” Tachikawa Shin said righteously, with absolutely no perversion whatsoever.All hail the Rizzler!

“Block him.”“He's technically still my boss.”“Then block him with dignity.”The call ended again.And then started again.I let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sob, then finally answered with the enthusiasm of a snail crawling through salt.“Yes, Mr. Walton?”“Have you changed your mind yet?”I collapsed onto the towel and gazed at the sky as though it might consume me entirely if I pleaded sweetly enough.“Do you ever take a break?” I asked, shielding my eyes with one hand.“You're avoiding the question.”“Because it's a dumb question.”He exhaled, the sound sharp and irritated even over phone. “It's not a dumb question. It's a business offer.”“It's a weird offer-one that I already said no to.”There was a brief pause, and I could practically hear him clenching his jaw through the speaker.“You are acting unreasonably.”“ Unreasonable?” I sat up. “I'm not the one drafting fake girlfriend contracts like it's a normal Tuesday.”“Isabella-”“Certainly not, Mr. Walton.” I mimicked his tone perfectly. “I told you I'm not doing it. You need to find someone else to play pretend with.”SYNOPSISIsabella Miller thought saying no to her boss’s fake dating offer was the end of the story.But Adrien Walton doesn’t take no—especially not when he’s convinced she’s a gold digger.Suddenly, her student loans are piling up, her father’s vet clinic is on the brink of eviction and her brother is about to be kicked out of college. Coincidence? She thinks not.Adrien Walton is calm, calculating—and he's just pulled every string to corner Isabella into the perfect position.Now she’s stuck choosing between pride and survival.So she agrees to his offer: be his fake girlfriend.No feelings attached. No drama. Just business.Or so she thought.“Conference Room B. Fifteen minutes,” he said, passing by without a glance.The folder he pushed across the table landed with a thud.I opened it. The contract. All of it.---Enemies to lovers? Check.Slow burn? Hmmnyea.Banter so sharp it might file your nails? Yes.Delicious workplace tension? Of course.Tension that could melt steel?Absolutely.Smut?? Wanna find out?Welcome to corporate romance warfare. There’s no escaping this contract.

In this period where countless supporting lead actors always attempt to counterattack, turn over a new leaf or simply refuse to take up the role, his purpose of existing is to fill the role of a good supporting male lead and uphold his duty to the best of his ability. To add the needed lustre to storylines and this world. Only, it’s a pity that someone who is not afraid of god-like enemies will be afraid of pig-like teammates.

Bitterly, he realises that for some unfathomable reason, he is being bothered time and again by a bastard who refuses to follow the script… In order to walk the path of a good supporting male lead, he engages in a battle of wits and courage with that person. Loving each other and killing each other, one ultimately cannot escape fate’s teasing– why is it so difficult wanting to be a responsible and diligent supporting male lead?! QAQ

- Description from novelupdates

Xi Wan transmigrated into a novel! The system tied to her notified her that there had been changes in the major roles in the story!

Firstly, the female protagonist was tied to an external hacking system! Secondly, the male protagonist was aware of the entire novel’s content! Thirdly, the villain in the novel was reborn and returned! Meanwhile, she had become an enemy to all three of them.

As a major character in the novel, she needed to appear at fixed intervals to maintain stability in the world.

‘So, did you send me here to die?’ Xi Wan wondered.[You can choose to appease the female protagonist, fight for the male protagonist, or join forces with the villain. You have three options to change your fate!] The system announced.

Xi Wan snorted and rolled her eyes.

She would not choose from any of these three options. Hence, in the face of a tricky situation, while the system tried persuading her to clear her name, Xi Wan decisively backed out. She became an investor instead. Xi Wan smiled at the female protagonist’s friend.

“It’s my pleasure to inform you that you have been kicked out!”

[She’s the female protagonist’s friend. You can use her to win the female protagonist over! But... Nevermind. Since you don’t want to suck up to the female protagonist, you can choose to win the male protagonist over instead,] the system responded. When the male protagonist suddenly appeared in front of Xi Wan, she raised her brows.

“Do you know why I haven’t reached out to you all this time?” Xi Wan asked. The male protagonist shook his head.

”It’s because I don’t want you to become someone who ruins another person’s marriage. Be a good boy, and forget about me.”

Xi Wan gently touched the male protagonist’s face and walked away.When the system saw Xi Wan getting rid of two leading characters in quick succession, it instantly realized what she was up to.

“I get it now. You want to join forces with the villain!” However, Xi Wan whistled as soon as she met the villain for the first time.

“Hey, handsome! When are you free? Shall we get a divorce?”

Just as the system believed this world could not be salvaged after seeing Xi Wan’s behavior, it realized Xi Wan not only escaped from her original fate, which was a terrible one, but she also became increasingly popular!

The villain, reborn and waiting for Xi Wan to betray him, fell deep into thought after seeing Xi Wan live her leisurely life.’

Who am I? Where am I? I feel like a joke for being so defensive against you...’ The villain thought.