Chapter 22 The Difference Between Villains

 

Qin Chengyu opened the door to find Nian Jinsui sighing dramatically and seemingly lost in his own world. 

Slightly exasperated, he interrupted, 

“Young Master Nian, what do you need?”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Nian Jinsui caught a glimpse of the open laptop on Qin Chengyu’s desk.

He suddenly remembered that the novel had mentioned Qin Chengyu’s remarkable business acumen. 

By the time he was in high school, he was already engaging in real investment practices and was, in fact, a hidden bigshot in the investment world.

It made sense—after all, Qin Chengyu was the ultimate antagonist who battled the protagonist team to the death. 

In terms of talent and skills, he was certainly on par with Chu Heting.

Qin Zhuo really had no eye for talent, 

Nian Jinsui thought bitterly. 

He treated Qin Chengyu, who possessed such extraordinary business potential, like discarded shoes, all while focusing on cultivating Qin Chenglu, who was mediocre at best.

If Qin Zhuo had paid even a little attention to Qin Chengyu and recognized his talents earlier, perhaps Qin Chengyu wouldn’t have turned out so gloomy and withdrawn. 

He certainly wouldn’t have dragged the entire Qin family into hell with him.

This realization made Nian Jinsui think further: 

Qin Chengyu wasn’t actually poor; he simply had no material desires.

Remembering Qin Chengyu’s minimal appetite at the dinner table, Nian Jinsui couldn’t help but notice that Qin Chengyu seemed to have very little desire to live at all.

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Nian Jinsui thought back to when he was twenty in his previous life—surrounded by his parents, music, and friends, he’d led a carefree and joyful life.

In contrast, Qin Chengyu, at the same age, was living a somber and suffocating existence.

How could a young man at the prime of his life—just twenty—live in such gloom and repression?

If only he could cultivate some hobbies and experience the beauty of the world. 

Maybe then he wouldn’t end up harboring such extreme, nihilistic thoughts in the future.

With this in mind, Nian Jinsui raised his head and said, 

“Qin Chengyu, isn’t it boring to stay holed up in your room all the time? Come play some games with me.”

Qin Chengyu didn’t object, nodding as he followed Nian Jinsui to the game room on the third floor.

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Nian Jinsui picked a two-player competitive game and handed a controller to Qin Chengyu. 

“Have you played before?”

Qin Chengyu took the controller and replied, 

“No.”

With a sense of confidence and a hint of magnanimity, Nian Jinsui said, 

“No worries, I’ll go easy on you. You’ll get the hang of it after a few rounds.”

However, Qin Chengyu won the first round.

“I was just letting you win! Next round, I’m going all out. Watch yourself!” 

Nian Jinsui exclaimed.

But Qin Chengyu won again.

“Don’t get cocky! That’s just beginner’s luck. I’ll definitely beat you in the next round!” 

Nian Jinsui shouted angrily as he started another match.

Once again, Qin Chengyu emerged victorious.

“Good things don’t come in fours! Your beginner’s luck is surely gone now. This time, you’re going down!”

Well, the results speak for themselves.

It finally dawned on Nian Jinsui that this wasn’t beginner’s luck—it was the villain’s aura!

A villain capable of battling the protagonist team to a standstill naturally had maxed-out skills across the board. 

How could a mere cannon-fodder villain like him hope to compete?

Same villains, such a vast difference!

Nian Jinsui’s fighting spirit deflated completely.

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Qin Chengyu noticed how Nian Jinsui, who had been brimming with enthusiasm moments ago, suddenly became dejected.

All this over losing a game? 

Qin Chengyu thought. 

How seriously does he take this?

Still, letting him win wasn’t out of the question.

“Do you want to keep playing?” 

Qin Chengyu asked.

“I’m done. It’s boring,” 

Nian Jinsui said decisively, tossing the controller aside. 

“You can keep playing if you want.”

Qin Chengyu was about to set the controller down as well when Nian Jinsui, 

worried that he might take offense, quickly added, 

“Go ahead, keep playing! I’m not stopping you. You can play anytime you want in the future.”

“I don’t feel like playing either,” 

Qin Chengyu replied indifferently.

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Nian Jinsui hadn’t forgotten his goal of helping Qin Chengyu develop hobbies. 

Switching the game to single-player mode, he resorted to some reverse psychology: 

“Beating me doesn’t mean much. Let’s see how high a score you can get in single-player mode.”

A short while later, the screen displayed Qin Chengyu’s score: 

a new high score for the console, accompanied by the message, 

“Congratulations! You’ve outperformed 99.99% of players worldwide!”

Nian Jinsui: 

I have so much to say, but where do I even begin…

Falling silent, Nian Jinsui reflected. 

In the original plotline, both he and Qin Chengyu were destined for a grim end. 

However, if his downfall stemmed from his stupidity and malice, Qin Chengyu’s tragedy lay in his… 

invincibility.

This is the difference between a cannon-fodder villain and a final-boss villain. 

It’s truly infuriating!

Just then, the sound of footsteps and clattering tools came from outside. 

Several servants carrying cleaning supplies walked past the door. 

One of them noticed Nian Jinsui and paused.

“Apologies for the disturbance, Young Master. Butler Liu sent us to clean. It might get noisy. Should I close the door for you?”

“No need, carry on,” 

Nian Jinsui replied before turning to Qin Chengyu with a mischievous grin.

“Do you know what they’re here for? I asked them to clean out the storage room. You’ll be staying there from now on,” he teased.

Qin Chengyu raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. 

“You want me to move to the third floor?”

“Since I’m not mobile right now, it’s easier to have you upstairs where I can summon you whenever I need,” 

Nian Jinsui explained with a logic that made sense—on the surface.

Qin Chengyu recalled how, on the night Nian Jinsui was hospitalized, he hadn’t even called for help despite struggling to the bathroom on his own. 

From their interactions over the past few days, Qin Chengyu doubted Nian Jinsui would actually boss him around.

To Qin Chengyu, it didn’t matter where he stayed. 

Even moving to the storage room wouldn’t stir any feelings of resentment or anger.

Nian Jinsui studied Qin Chengyu’s expression but found no trace of frustration or displeasure. 

This didn’t bring him any relief.

In fact, he would have preferred if Qin Chengyu got angry or expressed dissatisfaction.

Instead, Qin Chengyu was like a black hole, absorbing all forms of malice without reacting. 

He just quietly grew, imperceptibly expanding until, one day, he would become so massive that he’d consume the entire world—and himself along with it in one explosive finale.

Living like this for too long… No wonder he stopped wanting to live.

Resolving to change Qin Chengyu’s apathetic nature, Nian Jinsui’s gaze landed on the stacks of LEGO sets he’d bought the day before.

“Qin Chengyu, let’s switch games. Let’s build some LEGO.”

Picking out a car model he’d built before in his previous life, Nian Jinsui eagerly began unboxing it.

He had completed this model before, so it should be easy to do it again.

This time, I’ll show Qin Chengyu what I’m capable of!

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