I Was Reborn as the Villain, but the System Bound Itself to the Female Leads - Chapter 43:

Chapter 43: The Willing Ones Take the Bait

Lin Family residence.

Lin Yuan sat on the couch with Xiao Bao in his arms, accompanying his parents as they watched television. After a round of persuasive sweet talk, he had finally managed to soothe their mood.

“Ha~” Xiao Bao, sitting on Lin Yuan’s lap, let out a sleepy yawn.

“Dad, Mom, it’s getting late. I’ll take Xiao Bao back to the room so she can sleep,” Lin Yuan said to his parents.

In the past, Father Lin and Mother Lin would never have agreed to such a request. Lin Yuan used to be a total scoundrel who couldn’t be trusted to look after a child. But over the past couple of days, he had genuinely shown signs of improvement. Plus, Xiao Bao was clearly willing to be with him, so his parents didn’t object this time.

“Go ahead, but make sure you tuck her in properly. Don’t let her catch a cold,” his mother reminded.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll be careful,” Lin Yuan replied.

He stood up with Xiao Bao in his arms, and after just a few steps, she had already fallen asleep in his embrace.

Back in his room, Lin Yuan gently placed Xiao Bao on the bed and pulled the blanket over her.

Looking at her sweet, sleeping face, he couldn’t help but smile softly.

Thinking back to his previous life, when he hadn’t even held a girl’s hand, and now here he was, suddenly a dad… but the feeling wasn’t bad at all.

After watching Xiao Bao sleep quietly for a while, Lin Yuan got up and walked to his desk. He opened the long wooden box he had received from Master Nian Kong.

Inside the box were three cultivation techniques and a massive blade lying silently.

He took out the three manuals, then lifted the Demon Slayer Blade.

“So heavy!” Lin Yuan was shocked. He hadn’t expected the blade to be this heavy. Even with his current strength as an ancient martial artist, holding it with one hand was a struggle. His body and power were no longer what they used to be, and yet the blade still weighed him down. That was enough to prove how fearsome the blade’s weight truly was.

After examining the blade for a while, he placed it back into the wooden box, then picked up the three manuals and began studying them in detail.

At the same time—

Long Haochen, dressed in dark nightwear, had left the Gu Family and arrived at a private room inside a bar called Youth.

“Brother Long, you’re here!”

Chen Xingyu stood up to greet him immediately upon his arrival.

“Brother Long, look—everything you instructed has been taken care of.”

He gestured toward the sofa. Two burly men were holding down a chubby figure tightly bound with rope. Who else could it be but Chu Haojie?

At the moment, not only was Chu Haojie tied up like a dumpling, but a gag had been shoved into his mouth, leaving him only able to let out muffled grunts.

“Good work,” Long Haochen nodded.

He walked over to Chu Haojie and smiled faintly before saying, “Fatty, I know you’re Lin Yuan’s best buddy. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Just call Lin Yuan and ask him to come here. I’ll let you go. If you agree, just nod.”

Chu Haojie stared at him. He remembered seeing this man before—at Old Master Ye’s birthday banquet, claiming to be some disciple of the Ghost Hand Miracle Doctor, trying to show off.

He didn’t resist. He simply nodded.

“Good. I appreciate those who understand the situation,” Long Haochen said with a smile.

The gag was removed. Chu Haojie stuck out his tongue, moistened his lips, then looked at Long Haochen and cursed, “You damn bastard. You dare kidnap your grandpa and even threaten him? You unfilial disgrace! You want me to call my bro here? Ha! Dream on. You want to use your grandpa as bait? Not a chance! I value loyalty above all. I’ll never sell out my brother.”

Smack!

Long Haochen slapped him across the face. Chu Haojie felt his cheek burn instantly, and blood from his nose trickled into his mouth—salty and thick.

“You fat pig, don’t know what’s good for you.” Long Haochen sneered coldly. “No matter. If you won’t do it, I will. You better pray Lin Yuan comes to save you. Otherwise, tonight you’ll go to hell in his place.”

He picked up Chu Haojie’s phone, unlocked it with facial recognition, found Lin Yuan’s contact, and dialed.

At that moment, Lin Yuan was still engrossed in studying the three manuals. His phone, set to silent so as not to disturb Xiao Bao’s sleep, was placed beside him.

When he saw the incoming call from Chu Haojie, he was puzzled.

“Fatty Chu? Why’s he calling this late?”

Feeling curious, Lin Yuan picked up the phone and walked out of the room. He carefully closed the door behind him so as not to wake Xiao Bao.

Outside the room, he finally answered the call.

“Fatty Chu, you damn idiot. Calling me at this hour instead of sleeping, what do you want?”

“Lin Yuan!” came the voice from the other end—not Chu Haojie’s.

Lin Yuan frowned. “Who are you? Where’s Fatty Chu?”

“That pig’s in my hands. If you want to save him, come to the Youth Bar. I’m waiting. If you don’t come, be ready to collect his corpse tomorrow!”

Beep… beep…

Before Lin Yuan could reply, the call was cut off.

“Fatty Chu’s in danger,” Lin Yuan muttered, frowning. In the original plot, this wasn’t supposed to happen at this point. Another butterfly effect?

He shook his head. No time to think about that now—rescuing him was the priority.

He went straight to the garage, picked a car, and drove off on his own without calling Yang Gang.

Soon, he arrived at Youth Bar.

In North City, no matter the scale, every entertainment venue—be it bar, KTV, or club—knew Lin Yuan by name.

So the moment Lin Yuan got out of the car, the bar staff immediately recognized him. It was like they were seeing their own father walk in. They rushed over, bowing and scraping with utmost respect.

“Young Master Lin, welcome!”

“Is Fatty Chu here? Tell me which room he’s in.”

“I’ll take you there.”

“Lead the way.”

Lin Yuan didn’t care about their flattery. Right now, finding Fatty Chu was the most important thing.

Under the staff’s guidance, they soon arrived at a private room on the second floor.

“Young Master Lin, Young Master Chu is inside.”

“Mm. You may leave.”

“Understood. If you need anything, just call.”

The staff left. Lin Yuan frowned, pushed open the door, and immediately saw the scene inside.

Fatty Chu was tied up tightly, restrained by two burly men. On the sofa, Chen Xingyu sat with a beautiful woman on each side. Across from him, Long Haochen—dressed in nightwear, legs crossed—was sipping wine.

Lin Yuan walked in and shut the door behind him.

“I didn’t expect you to actually show up. I’m a bit impressed by your courage,” Long Haochen said, putting down his glass with a cold smile.