Operation: Save the Second Female Lead, Commence

Lin Yu's expectations were dashed. The tall, burly young man—whose name he still didn't know—did not transform into a Super Saiyan as Lin Yu had imagined, punching the bullies all the way to the moon. Instead, he stood there meekly, taking the kick without resistance, his demeanor radiating a timidity that clashed absurdly with his hulking frame.

At that moment, staring at the young man's flushed, strained face, Lin Yu finally realized with clarity: this wasn’t Niu Dafei.

The real Niu Dafei would never let himself be bullied like this.

The Niu Dafei in Lin Yu’s memory, though honest and mild-mannered, would instantly turn into an enraged bull if pushed too far, effortlessly knocking out anyone foolish enough to provoke him with a single punch or kick.

He wouldn’t cower like some oversized quail.

As the group surrounding the tall young man raised their fists again, Lin Yu couldn’t take it anymore.

Even if this guy wasn’t Niu Dafei, the fact that he looked exactly like him meant Lin Yu had to step in.

Besides, there was no way two identical-looking people had no connection at all.

Impossible!

Lin Yu took a step forward, lips parting to curse, when suddenly, a melodious yet grating tune blared through the air—the kind that could give a person a heart attack.

It just went to show:

No matter how beautiful a piece of music was, the moment it was designated as a school bell, it lost all its charm and became nothing more than an eerie, frantic death knell.

After the recent incident involving the delinquent girl’s bullying, the school had clearly cracked down on discipline.

At the sound of the pre-class bell, the group of troublemakers—clearly from the A campus—immediately forgot about the tall young man and hurried toward the school building, their fear of being late making them look more studious than the actual honor students.

What had the school done to make these delinquents so obedient?

Having skipped school for nearly half a month, Lin Yu was puzzled, but since the situation had resolved itself, he didn’t intervene further.

The unnamed tall youth dusted off the footprint on his thigh, wiped his slightly reddened eyes with his sleeve, and then followed the crowd toward the building.

Watching the young man’s slumped, lonely figure, Lin Yu felt no pity—only rising anger.

What the hell are you so scared of with a build like that?

Just freaking fight back!

With your size, even if they carved you up and divided the pieces, each chunk would be heavy enough to crush those bastards. What’s there to be afraid of?

Lin Yu couldn’t wrap his head around it.

If someone like Tang Manman—a sweet, delicate beauty—was bullied and put on a pitiful act, it would naturally stir people’s protective instincts.

But you? A hulking guy over six feet tall, getting bullied by a bunch of kids who barely cleared five-seven… and then crying about it?

I swear, I wanna punch that stupid face of yours!

Useless!

That afternoon, after three classes, Lin Yu set down his textbook during the final self-study session and pulled out his notebook again, planning how to save the second female lead.

First step: get close to her.

To protect her, he needed to establish a normal, friendly relationship and exchange contact info so she could reach him if she ever found herself in danger.

Otherwise, if he just lurked around her like a creep, forget about protecting her—he’d be lucky not to get arrested as a stalker!

Second, once they were on good terms, he had to gradually instill in her the idea that the world was a dangerous place.

He couldn’t be by her side 24/7, so the safest bet was to teach her to protect herself.

Pepper spray, anti-wolf alarms, portable stun guns—he’d get her all the essentials.

Maybe even some self-defense techniques…

Wait.

No.

Scratch that.

Those so-called "self-defense" moves might just end up being an open invitation.

Lin Yu wiped cold sweat from his forehead, recalling the "women’s self-defense" videos he’d seen in his past life.

Good lord.

After watching those, even a saint would turn into a wolf!

Finally—and this was the hardest part—he had to contend with the invisible force of fate in this ero-manga world.

Lin Yu’s expression turned serious.

To defy this unseen, intangible adversary, he would have to make choices that went against his own instincts whenever he interacted with the second female lead.

If he faced another crossroads—like the one outside the convenience store or the intersection—he’d have to pick the option he’d normally avoid.

Maybe then he could fight back against fate and free her from the destiny of being violated.

With the plan outlined, how should he execute it?

Lin Yu stroked his chin and soon landed on an idea.

His "heroic" rescues of Tang Manman had skyrocketed her affection for him. Could he use the same tactic to win the second female lead’s favor?

Given his delinquent looks—the sharp features and that ridiculous hairstyle—trying to befriend a decent girl through normal means was next to impossible.

After a brief hesitation, though he felt a twinge of shame at the idea of staging a rescue, Lin Yu decided it was necessary to save her.

Besides, it was the fastest, most effective method.

But there was an art to these "delinquent heroics."

He couldn’t overdo it and risk her developing too much attachment—that would only lead to complications later.

Better to keep it subtle.

Make sure her predicament wasn’t too dire, so his help felt more like a minor favor than a life-changing act.

She’d be grateful, but not obsessed.

Then, bit by bit, he’d drill into her the idea that the world was dangerous and she needed to stay vigilant.

At this thought, Lin Yu sighed.

If he had a choice, he’d avoid getting entangled with any of the four female leads.

But compared to watching the second lead fall into someone else’s clutches, he’d rather be the one to step in.

At least he’d go easy on her!

When self-study ended, Lin Yu didn’t bother asking the teacher for homework this time. He planned to spend the next few nights fine-tuning his "delinquent rescue" scheme.

He couldn’t afford any slip-ups during execution.

If all went well, he’d launch the plan this weekend.

No point dragging it out—who knew when that random extra might make his move?

If the guy succeeded before Lin Yu even finalized his plan, that would be one hell of a dark joke.

As for homework…

He’d deal with it later.

Operation: Save the Second Female Lead—

Commence!