Toastmasters 01

"I've noticed we seem to attract lightning strikes," Fang Zhiyi remarked.

Little Hei replied gruffly, "You messed with the Child of Destiny—who else would the heavens strike but you?"

"I told you to just stay by the emperor's side. The Heavenly Dao wouldn’t dare strike him. But no, you had to go and play the recluse," Little Hei continued grumbling.

"Stop nagging. Didn’t you take a bite out of it before we left?"

A segment of the plot unfolded.

This world was a bit unhinged. The story revolved around a girl named Qin Xiaocao, who lost her father at a young age. Her mother quickly remarried and stopped caring for her.

Raised by her grandmother, Qin Xiaocao worked part-time while attending university after her grandmother passed away, striving hard to make ends meet.

She was petite, with delicate features, but never bothered with appearances, making her practically invisible at school.

Yet, she somehow caught the attention of the male lead, Gu Mingyu. Their meeting was cliché—she was knocked over while carrying something, and that single encounter etched her into his memory.

Then came the second male lead, the third male lead... They all became entangled in a rivalry over Qin Xiaocao.

When someone bullied Qin Xiaocao, Gu Mingyu rushed to her defense.

When Qin Xiaocao was humiliated by her mother’s new son, the second male lead stepped in to put the offender in his place.

When Gu Mingyu’s family looked down on her, the third male lead leveraged his family’s influence to pressure them.

In short, she lived a blissful life surrounded by three men.

Of course, to balance things out, she also had plenty of enemies—like the second male lead’s sister, Gu Mingyu’s older brother, snide classmates, her greedy and cruel stepfather and stepbrother, and her own mother, who was always looking to take advantage of her.

Among them was Xue Wanning.

Xue Wanning was just one of the many villainesses. A wealthy young lady, her hobbies included ogling handsome men, binge-watching dramas, traveling, and shopping. Originally, she had no connection to the main couple—until Qin Xiaocao’s momentary stupidity offended her.

Ever since gaining Gu Mingyu’s protection, Qin Xiaocao’s IQ seemed to plummet. One day, while getting food at the cafeteria, her frail arms gave out, and she accidentally spilled her meal all over Xue Wanning.

Furious, Xue Wanning was even more incensed by Qin Xiaocao’s first words:

"My food..."

Xue Wanning immediately confronted her, and at that moment, Fang Zhiyi was by her side. Then, the third male lead, Fu Jingxuan, arrived to bail Qin Xiaocao out, throwing money at Xue Wanning as compensation. Unexpectedly, this made Xue Wanning take notice of Fu Jingxuan.

Ironically, Xue Wanning had only come to the cafeteria because Fang Zhiyi mentioned a dessert stall there was worth trying. And Fu Jingxuan? He never ate at the cafeteria—he was there purely to protect Qin Xiaocao.

Their paths crossed, and Xue Wanning became fixated.

As she learned more about him, Xue Wanning grew infatuated with Fu Jingxuan—and her hatred for Qin Xiaocao deepened. She shamelessly pursued Fu Jingxuan while secretly scheming against Qin Xiaocao. But thanks to the heroine’s plot armor and the protection of her male entourage, none of her schemes succeeded.

Most of these schemes were carried out by Fang Zhiyi.

Fang Zhiyi had always obeyed Xue Wanning. Orphaned at a young age, he and his sister were raised by their uncle and aunt. Introverted and withdrawn, he crossed paths with Xue Wanning, who took pity on him when she saw him eating plain rice with pickles. On the spot, she offered to take him under her wing—meals included.

Fang Zhiyi agreed without hesitation.

By the time they reached university, Xue Wanning not only fed him but even paid him a salary. Naturally, Fang Zhiyi was fiercely loyal, ready to act on her behalf no matter what.

For the sake of Xue Wanning’s hopeless crush, Fang Zhiyi threw himself into targeting Qin Xiaocao—only to be repeatedly humiliated by the male lead’s group.

After Fu Jingxuan harshly rejected Xue Wanning, she drowned her sorrows in alcohol. Fang Zhiyi, seething, resolved to avenge her.

But this time, Fang Zhiyi walked straight into a trap set by Gu Mingyu and was thrown into prison.

His role in the story ended there.

Yet the plot marched on. The main couple triumphed over every villain, and Xue Wanning faded into obscurity. Eventually, Qin Xiaocao chose Fu Jingxuan—only for him to change after they got together. He became paranoid and controlling, forbidding Qin Xiaocao from seeing the other two rivals. When she disobeyed, Fu Jingxuan turned to alcohol and reunited with his childhood sweetheart, who had just returned from abroad.

His heart immediately followed her. Then, when the sweetheart fell gravely ill, Fu Jingxuan orchestrated a scheme to force Qin Xiaocao to donate a kidney—while also framing the second male lead, Zhou Han, leaving him disabled and confined to a wheelchair.

Heartbroken, Qin Xiaocao left and threw herself into Gu Mingyu’s arms.

Fu Jingxuan suddenly had an epiphany—realizing Qin Xiaocao was his true love—and began chasing her again. But by then, Gu Mingyu had also revealed his true identity. His dying mother confessed his origins and urged him to seek out his biological father—the patriarch of the wealthy Gu family. After much hesitation, Gu Mingyu went, and the reunion went smoothly. Impressed by his son’s excellence, the patriarch showered him with resources and a company.

Gu Mingyu quickly established himself, leveraging his intellect and protagonist halo to effortlessly counter Fu Jingxuan’s advances, even humiliating him multiple times.

In the end, Gu Mingyu forced Fu Jingxuan’s sweetheart to return Qin Xiaocao’s kidney, then settled into a blissful, shamelessly domestic life with her—alongside the wheelchair-bound Zhou Han. The three stayed together indefinitely.

"........" Fang Zhiyi took a deep breath. "Tell me I didn’t write this."

"Worlds develop on their own. It’s normal," Little Hei reassured him.

"Good. Otherwise, I’d have to slap myself," Fang Zhiyi muttered, rubbing his temples. "So, aside from the main couple and the token second male lead, everyone else is a villain?"

Little Hei clicked his tongue. "Still, be careful. The Heavenly Dao in the later worlds is much stronger."

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be this absurd.

"Fang Zhiyi, what are you doing?" A hand landed on his shoulder, and he turned to see a bright, smiling face.

"Zoning out."

"Such a blockhead," Xue Wanning teased. "Yesterday, you said there’s a dessert place in the cafeteria that’s really good. True?"

Fang Zhiyi quickly weighed his options before nodding. "True."

"Let’s go!" Xue Wanning was intrigued. "I’ve barely been to the cafeteria. You lead the way!"

“Of course, Young Miss.”

Xue Wanning paused and turned to him. "What did you call me?"

"Young Miss."

She nodded, amused. "Hmm, I like the sound of that. Hahahaha!"

Fang Zhiyi sighed as he watched her walk ahead. No wonder she was one of the villainesses—she didn’t seem all that bright.

But then he remembered the original plot, where after his character was imprisoned, Xue Wanning had given his sister a hefty sum of money.

Well then. If he could save her, he might as well try. After all, they were all just pawns in the main couple’s twisted game.