Villain – Peeking at the Diary, the Female Leads’ Personas Collapse

In the French royal circle, butlers held considerable influence, especially those who served generations of the family. They were treated as family members.

“Anyone who can assure his recovery will gain a friendship with the William family. Of course, this friendship can be used once, and as long as the request isn’t excessive, we’ll do our best to meet it. Additionally, there’s a $300 million reward.”

Chen Fan glanced at the file, then looked over at Ye Aotian.

He stood up and said, “Chen Pharmaceuticals can absolutely handle this task. We have three top-tier Chinese medicine experts at Chen Pharmaceuticals, so addressing such a complex issue will be no problem.”

Ye Aotian rose and said, “I think I can as well. The Ling family, a prominent traditional Chinese medicine family, are my friends. If I ask, they’ll certainly help with all their expertise.”

The rest dared not speak up. With these two competing, what chance did anyone else have?

Anna was torn. This offer was indeed very tempting. She’d heard of the Ling family, and the Chen family was also well-known.

William looked to Anna and asked, “Sis, what should we do?”

Anna wasn’t sure either. Choosing either felt appropriate.

Just choose him! What are you hesitating for? Damn it. Pick Ye Aotian! That guy’s incredible. If you pick me, I’ll make sure to destroy him. No, even if he’s cured, I’ll find a way to ruin him.

At this point, Jin Lan stood up and said, “I believe, in the interest of saving a life, it would be better to have both families work together. After all, the more help, the better.”

Chen Fan looked at Jin Lan, contemplating for a moment, and then the realization hit him.

***

Chen Fan looked at Jin Lan, feeling guilty—truly, he felt he was a sinner.

He felt it necessary to reflect on himself; Jin Lan was genuinely thinking about the protagonist. What defines a grand vision? What defines plot development? This is the essence of real storytelling.

This part should have been Chen Fan’s face-slapping moment, but an unexpected twist prevented it. Although William admitted to being friends with Ye Aotian, Anna’s appearance disrupted the balance.

Anna claimed to have met Chen Fan first, meaning that now, Chen Fan and Ye Aotian were at a standstill.

The face-slapping didn’t happen, so the plot went off track.

Chen Fan had hoped that during the bidding, something would go wrong, leading to his failure in the bid, followed by the protagonist stepping in to help.

While the protagonist treated the person, he would also face difficulties, allowing Chen Fan to step up. That would be the second face-slapping.

Chen Fan would mock the protagonist, and then the protagonist would turn the tide, shocking everyone by securing the William family’s promise.

But now, the plot was stuck because awarding the bid to either party wasn’t feasible. For a moment, it was hard to make a decision. Had Anna not appeared, the bid would surely have gone to the protagonist, but Anna’s presence made things uncertain.

Jin Lan’s meaning was straightforward: create a double-edged dissatisfaction, so, to be safe, whoever successfully treats the person will get the reward.

Damn, that would make the face-slapping even more satisfying. Though the plot deviated a bit, the result remained the same.

Chen Fan was undeniably delighted.

“Hmph, working with this person to treat someone? I’m worried that if something goes wrong with him and I’m busy with the treatment, it’ll be too late to save him.”

Ye Aotian looked at Chen Fan and said, “Then, I hope Young Master Chen doesn’t lose face; by the way, I wonder if those three old Chinese doctors in your family are still competent enough to diagnose illnesses?”

“What do you mean?”

Ye Aotian didn’t back down, looking straight at Chen Fan and saying, “What I mean, there’s no need for you to say. Without your family, what are you worth?”

“Oh, interesting, interesting. Just gained a bit of strength, and you’re already so full of yourself? I’ll show you what family power really means.”

Both sides were on edge, showing no sign of easing up.

Meanwhile, several female leads watching the show were entirely calm. They found it amusing, more so as they admired Chen Fan’s acting skills. As for Ye Aotian, so what if he was the protagonist? No feelings meant no feelings; in comparison, Chen Fan was indeed more impressive.

William said, “Since we’re all set, the butler has been moved to a hospital in Qincheng under security. I believe you two should be able to come up with a treatment plan by today or tomorrow.”

“Oh, damn, scared me to death.”

Chen Fan was shocked; he thought they were about to change settings, but unexpectedly, the patient was being transported here.

That was quite nice.

Changing locations in urban novels was common, but that usually took a long time. It was a far-off matter.

Everyone returned to their seats, and the salon formally began.

Ye Aotian and William stayed on the side, entertaining a few ladies.

Chen Fan, however, didn’t go to Lin Qingyue; instead, he found a spot and began drinking alone.

“Brother Chen.” A young man approached, offering Chen Fan a toast.

“Who are you?”

“My father is Zheng Qiang.”

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Zheng Qiang is indeed resilient; Li Long is dead, yet Zheng Qiang hasn’t been taken over. But thinking about the plot, it’s just around the corner.

Chen Fan didn’t involve himself in that storyline; at the moment, he just wanted to follow the plot’s flow. As long as it didn’t concern him, he wouldn’t get involved.

“Tell your father to keep a low profile lately; that’s all I can say. Jin Lan seems to have plans for him.”

“Young Master Chen, do you think …”

“I have no interest in your family’s business. I have no intention of cooperating. If you want a partnership, your Zheng family isn’t quite there yet.”

The young man left, feeling disappointed. In fact, he was even more worried than his father.

Chen Fan looked at the young man before him; this person was no ordinary person. Skilled in finance and fond of stock trading, he wouldn’t have been called back if not for his family’s troubles. He was a high achiever. He eventually became Ye Aotian’s right-hand man.

Zheng Shaoyang.

He could indeed be considered a rising star. He successfully took over his father’s business and managed to maintain his family’s well-being.

Of course, it was due to Chen Fan’s coercion that he was forced to Ye Aotian’s side.

This dialogue actually came up later—why did Zheng Shaoyang decisively cut ties and willingly turn to Ye Aotian?

It was all because Chen Fan looked down on him.

Look at how dedicated this villain is, offering such talent willingly to the protagonist. If you still can’t figure out how to take me down in the end, I’ll truly look down on you. Honestly, I’m practically worrying myself sick over this.

Ye Aotian noticed Lin Qingyue, who was drinking alone, and approached her.

“Are you here alone?”

This time, Lin Qingyue completely ignored Ye Aotian and turned away.

Fine, I’m not even going to speak this time. Let’s see what you’ll do.

Seeing Lin Qingyue walking toward him, Chen Fan immediately got up and headed toward the restroom.

Why are you coming to me? I have nothing to do with you.