This made me the unsuspecting protagonist in a horror story.

The north wind howled sharply, snowflakes fluttered down, and the long street lay deserted. Street lamps cast a cold, pale glow in the frigid night.

The curtains hung heavy, the bedside light dim, and scattered clothes lay in disarray on the wooden floor.

[System initializing, Rescue Tragic Romance System at your service…]
[Transmitting storyline…]

Mingzhou hadn’t dreamed for a long time, but this time, he had an extremely absurd dream.

He was pulled into a novel titled *Extreme Terror*.

This was an eighteen-plus romantic tragedy, blending infinite worlds, eerie elements, and erotic scenes.

The story portrayed the protagonist, a university student named Xiang Chen, who inadvertently fell into bizarre infinite-world scenarios. He was rescued by the protagonist’s lover, Chu Yanping, and together they defeated bosses and leveled up.

Of course, only the protagonists had sweet moments. The story’s main antagonist, Luo Wen, bore the brunt of the tragic romance and adult scenes.

Luo Wen was abandoned by his father from childhood and lived with his ailing mother. Fortunately, he was clever and managed to get into the country’s top university, Lin University, on scholarships and part-time jobs, earning the respect of his teachers.

By normal standards, given his looks and talent, he should have achieved great success and reached the pinnacle of life.

But that didn’t fit the author’s role for Luo Wen. Handsome and excellent in character and studies, he was set as “the high mountain flower to be humiliated.”

With a sick mother and overwhelming medical bills, Luo Wen was powerless and forced into an arrangement with a reckless young heir as his kept man. From there, he descended step by step into the abyss and eventually turned dark, becoming the ultimate boss.

In the end, the antagonist was defeated and reformed by the two protagonists, then quietly vanished.

In short, a pure tool character.

This ending made readers spit blood; the author’s comment section flooded with negative ratings, sparking a fierce uproar.

Readers insisted that the final “reformation” was a betrayal of Luo Wen’s character—too melodramatic!

Seeing their dissatisfaction, the author pondered and wrote an even darker ending, plunging the story into hopelessness.

[Luo Wen, through his suffering, opened the most terrifying door in the world. Behind it descended a sacred yet dreadful aberration, plunging the world into endless darkness and an unending long night.]

At this moment, Lu Mingzhou, trapped in this nightmare, was the reckless second-generation heir who kept Luo Wen—the original cause of Luo Wen’s suffering.

Luo Wen? In Lu Mingzhou’s memory, Luo Wen was lean and stubborn, like a plum blossom standing resilient against harsh winds and snow, utterly unlike the mad, dark villain of the story.

When Lu Mingzhou first met him, Luo Wen was a respected disciple of an esteemed old academician. Known for his brilliance, he had remarkable achievements at a young age.

At that time, Lu Mingzhou focused on his career. Due to business connections, they met a few times, always polite. Later, abroad, he occasionally heard Luo Wen’s name, mostly on news broadcasts.

His favored career flourished, and so did Luo Wen’s research, glowing with accolades.

They were like two parallel lines with no intersection; Lu Mingzhou never imagined their paths would cross again.

Thus, he found this dream utterly absurd.

[Story transmission complete.]

Hearing the notification, Lu Mingzhou opened his eyes in the dark and instinctively reached for the bedside table. With a soft click, two dim yellow lamps lit up, revealing a curled figure by the pillow. He was stunned.

“Not a dream.” The moment his fingers touched the person beside him, a vivid scene of two people entwined on the bed flashed before him.

“Of course not a dream.” The system crouched in a corner spoke. “What you just saw is what will happen in this world. Please complete the task to reduce the antagonist’s hatred value.”

“Once the task is completed, the host can return to the original world.”

Lu Mingzhou, an avid internet surfer, furrowed his brows and asked after a brief thought, “So this is a parallel world?”

“Host, you’re very smart!” The system lavished praise.

Ignoring the flattery, Lu Mingzhou’s gaze shifted directly to the person beside him. Luo Wen was curled up like a boiled shrimp, looking utterly vulnerable. This fragile Luo Wen would later turn the entire world into a ghostly nightmare?

Yet recalling the nightmare, Lu Mingzhou was not surprised.

The “high mountain flower to be humiliated”? Though the story was vague, Lu Mingzhou glimpsed the countless hardships Luo Wen would suffer.

Remembering the Luo Professor in his memory, dressed formally, with clear yet resolute features, even as a bystander, Lu Mingzhou felt a pang of pity—especially after their intimate night together.

Startled by his gaze, Luo Wen, still half-asleep, furrowed his delicate brows and murmured softly, restless in sleep.

Lu Mingzhou withdrew his gaze.

He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the bedside, lit one, and thought, “Well, since I got a life for free, it’s worth it.”

But… how did he die again? Lu Mingzhou frowned, struggling to recall. After pondering silently, he locked the question away and quietly asked, “What do we do next?”

[Antagonist hatred value: 78]

The system flashed the numbers and insisted, “I said, reduce his hatred value.”

“I’m asking how,” Lu Mingzhou muttered, scrutinizing the glowing orb in his hand, voice low and rough. “You’re not a rookie system, are you?”

The system whispered, “No… no, but I’m very useful!”

Lu Mingzhou smirked disdainfully, tapping the cigarette between his fingers.

The system promptly lit it for him, smoke curling into the air.

“Fine, somewhat useful. I’ll figure out how to reduce the hatred myself.”

The system was ecstatic, even touched: “Host, trust me. Lower the darkening value a bit, and I can unlock your character card and reveal more detailed plotlines.”

“Unlocking detailed plots will help us avoid Luo Wen’s dark turns!” it hurriedly added when Lu Mingzhou remained silent.

Lu Mingzhou exhaled smoke indifferently, his handsome face blurring through the haze.

Through the smoke, his gaze toward Luo Wen darkened.

---

The young man curled in the corner suddenly coughed sharply, nearly rolling off the bed.

Quick as a flash, Lu Mingzhou reached out and pulled him back under the covers.

He stubbed out the cigarette in a glass ashtray and looked down at Luo Wen, who was coughing relentlessly, cheeks flushed and tearful. He gently patted Luo Wen’s back to soothe him.

Only when Luo Wen’s cough eased did Lu Mingzhou grab a bottle of water from the bedside and hand it over.

“Drink a few sips.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Luo Wen blinked moist lashes and took the bottle, sipping lightly.

His head bowed, revealing a delicate, pale neck. His lips were pale, and the rosy flush from coughing failed to make him look healthier; beneath the white shirt, his body seemed increasingly hollow and frail.

The lingering cigarette smell in the room made Lu Mingzhou regret lighting up.

“Want more?” he asked. Luo Wen shook his head, so Lu Mingzhou took the bottle back, and silence fell between them.

After a while, Lu Mingzhou lifted Luo Wen’s chin. Feeling the subtle resistance, he didn’t press further. His fingers stroked Luo Wen’s creamy skin until a faint blush bloomed beneath his touch, then he stopped.

Their eyes met. Luo Wen’s bangs, long and untrimmed, softly framed his brows, lending him a studious charm. Yet the gloom lurking in his eyes betrayed him.

Lu Mingzhou fell silent, cursing the system inwardly hundreds of times for showing up only after he’d already slept with the man. Being kept by a man should be a deep humiliation for Professor Luo.

If possible, better to cancel it.

So he said, “Luo Wen, about our previous agreement—I think it’s quite inappropriate.”

Luo Wen shot him a surprised glance, then turned his face, hiding a sneer. Inappropriate? What kind of drama was this young heir playing?

Still young, his voice tinged with self-mockery, he said, “Young Master Lu is kind-hearted and has helped me a lot. I have no objections, nor do I find it inappropriate.”

It didn’t sound like praise but sarcasm. Lu Mingzhou knew Luo Wen harbored deep resentment. Indeed, if he were forced into this pit despite a promising future, he too would be unwilling.

Luo Wen instantly regretted speaking. Everyone said Lu Mingzhou was born with a golden spoon, backed by powerful family, reckless and spoiled—why provoke him for a fleeting pleasure?

He lowered his gaze; long lashes trembled, and tear moles beneath his eyes glistened as if weeping.

The next moment, Lu Mingzhou fell silent, then spoke gently, “Luo Wen, you’re smart. You know that agreement isn’t legally binding. Maybe we should just forget it.”

“Of course, about what we agreed before…” Lu Mingzhou hadn’t finished when he saw Luo Wen’s face turn deathly pale, almost bloodless, looking like he might collapse.

He immediately stopped talking.

Luo Wen’s head buzzed. From the moment Lu Mingzhou said to forget it, his brain ached and his stomach churned.

He felt like a whore—exchanged for money, summoned and discarded at will.

Before accepting Lu Mingzhou’s offer, he told himself it was just a body with some color, a price worth paying to keep a loved one alive.

But being trampled into the dust still stung.

The discomfort wracked his body, his stomach convulsed, nearly vomiting.

His vision blurred, and before losing consciousness, he saw a flood of blood.

[Antagonist hatred value: 79]
[Antagonist hatred value: 83]

The system screamed, “Help! Host, what did you do?!”

“…,” Lu Mingzhou had expected Luo Wen to happily agree, with hatred values plummeting. He never imagined the hatred would rise, nearing a peak.

“Host, what you did was good! Hurry, find a solution!” The glowing orb spun anxiously.

His pupils dilated as he looked at the huge shadow looming behind Luo Wen.

It was an angelic figure, but unlike the usual image of angels. Its whole body was as pale as white plaster, face snowy and closed-eyed, scarred, with dark red-black bruises.

Its naked body was wrapped tightly by folded wings, revealing only a pair of large, blood-red, vein-filled eyes on its abdomen.

As those crimson eyes slowly blinked, locking on Lu Mingzhou, his vision blacked out, and the system screamed.

“Oh no, I’m going to die!”

In that instant of darkness, Lu Mingzhou finally recalled how he died.

Before dying, he saw streets filled with wandering ghosts and a strange angel radiating scorching light in the sky.

Under that light, many vanished. He lost his life the moment that angel’s gaze fell upon him.

“A truly terrifying power,” he murmured as the light returned.

He saw Luo Wen staring at him in surprise, then turning away with familiar sarcasm.

“Young Master Lu is kind-hearted and has helped me a lot. I have no objections.”

Lu Mingzhou realized he had returned to a few minutes earlier. The system’s incessant chatter confirmed it.

“Rewinding just now almost drained my remaining factory energy,” the system lamented tearfully. “Host, be careful! Don’t probe dangerous areas again.”

Lu Mingzhou groaned, “This is practically a hellish mission. If I offend Luo Wen, that angel appears, and that means certain death.”

Recalling the strange figure, he almost wanted to give up. “I can’t be omniscient or always act to please him.”

If that were true, better to let him die sooner.

“It appearing doesn’t mean the host will definitely die!” the system hurriedly explained, fearing Lu Mingzhou’s surrender. “If it appears, just don’t look at it.”

Lu Mingzhou understood: when the hatred value reaches a certain level, the terrifying angel—the most dreadful entity behind the door—will manifest. But if avoided, it’s not necessarily fatal.

---

The system sighed, “Luo Wen is unique. His darkening may affect multiple parallel worldsI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.