The Devoted Villain Only Wants to Survive, but the Heroine Refuses to

[Before We Begin:

Dear readers, hello! After careful consideration, I've decided to change the names of the protagonists in this book to ones that will be easier for everyone to remember and read. Below is a comparison of the old and new names, which I hope will be helpful to you. 

Hongwen Zhang --Edward Astor

Shuying Feng--Victoria Windsor 

Linglong Xia ---Elizabeth Lewis

Aotian Long---Davis Howard

I will also update the names in the earlier chapters as soon as possible. Thank you for reading my book. If you would like to discuss any plot points, feel free to let us know. Love you all, and I hope you have a wonderful day!]

Edward Astor felt his blood run cold.

This was like something straight out of a web novel… You could never predict how a minor villain might meet his end.

Sometimes, the author's imagination was just… disgustingly twisted.

After an exhausting day destroying batches of medicine, Edward had returned to his room, collapsed into bed, and now—somehow—woken up with the female lead asleep beside him? And worse yet, in his half-asleep daze, he'd accidentally…

Oh, come on!

He had managed to toe the line all day, avoiding any missteps, only to have his "villain meter" maxed out while he was unconscious? This was bullying the antagonist!

Sweat dripped down Edward's forehead as he froze completely still, barely breathing. In his mind, he could already see Davis bursting through the door, smashing his head in with a single palm strike, and whisking Victoria away into the arms of a clichéd romance plot.

Victoria, meanwhile, was breathtaking in her sleep.

The soft midday sunlight spilled across her delicate face, illuminating every perfect eyelash. She looked serene, relaxed, and utterly beautiful.

But Edward couldn't care less about her beauty—he was too busy trying to keep his neck attached to his shoulders. One wrong move and he might be "written off the script" for good.

Victoria was sleeping soundly, her head resting on Edward's arm. Carefully, Edward began to strategize: Stay calm. I can fix this. But I need to act fast.

He slowly extended his free hand, gently cradled Victoria's head, and attempted to slide his arm out from under her.

However, Victoria frowned slightly in her sleep, mumbled something unintelligible, and snuggled even closer. Now she wasn't just clutching his right arm but had wrapped his left arm in a soft embrace as well.

Edward was on the verge of a breakdown. If Davis sees this, I'm done for!

He waited until her breathing evened out again, then resumed his escape attempt. Supporting her head with one hand, he carefully withdrew his arm and replaced it with a pillow.

Stay asleep, little angel. You're tired. Rest well.

I'll disappear now. I swear this wasn't intentional. I'm just as confused as you would be.

Almost there. Just… stay asleep…

At last, Edward completed his operation and exhaled deeply in relief. But just as he was about to slip away, he froze.

Victoria's eyes were wide open, staring straight at him.

She wasn't angry. She wasn't smiling. She wasn't saying a word. She just… stared.

Edward swallowed hard. "I… I can explain!"

In his panic, he tumbled off the bed, scrambled back to his feet, and stood awkwardly by the side.

Victoria sat up slowly, her curious gaze still fixed on him. Her usual poised demeanor was gone; she looked almost like an innocent little creature, tilting her head slightly as she observed him.

"I swear I didn't do anything!" Edward blurted out.

"Seriously. Yesterday, you were drunk. Completely wasted. People wanted to take you away, and I wasn't sure if your bodyguards could be trusted, so I brought you here. You get that, right?"

"But I didn't do anything!"

"I put you in the guest room—this is the guest room! Ha… ha ha! See? It's all fine!"

"I was exhausted last night from dealing with the pharmaceutical factory situation. I came home, passed out, and somehow…"

Edward was on the brink of tears. "I swear to heaven, I did nothing!"

Victoria had been awake long enough to understand the situation. She had seen him painstakingly remove his arm, carefully tuck the pillow under her head, and gently cover her exposed leg with the blanket.

It was obvious—he was terrified. His forehead was drenched in sweat, and every movement screamed "I'm innocent!"

Her keen mind quickly pieced it together: this guy had been trying to flee the scene without waking her up.

And her clothes? Untouched. Clearly, he hadn't done anything improper.

Instead of being angry, Victoria found the whole thing… amusing.

So she simply stared at him in silence, watching him stammer, stumble, and dig himself into deeper and deeper explanations.

This is comedy gold.

Finally, when Edward looked like he might faint from sheer panic, Victoria let out a calm sigh.

"It's fine."

She stretched her neck, casually rolled her shoulders, and got out of bed as if nothing had happened.

Edward was dumbfounded. Wait, what?

Isn't she supposed to scream? Call me a beast, a scumbag, a monster?

Why is she acting so normal? Is this a trap? Is she waiting until she's out of danger to call someone to beat me up?

Does she not understand how bad this looks? Heaven help me, I really didn't do anything!

Victoria yawned, slipped into the slippers Edward hurriedly offered, and walked over to the vanity mirror. She casually tidied her hair, patted her face, and acted as if she were in her own home.

Edward stood behind her, hands clasped nervously in front of him. "Uh… can you please just… say something? You're scaring me."

Victoria turned around slowly. "Why were you sleeping in my room?"

Edward nearly jumped. "I don't know! I swear I don't know! I was exhausted! I collapsed in my room—or what I thought was my room. I must have gotten confused! I didn't do anything!"

Victoria couldn't hold back her laughter anymore. She turned away, hid her smile, and said with mock seriousness:

"I'm going to wash up. Get out."

"Yes, ma'am!" Edward shot out of the room like a rocket, slammed the door shut, and leaned against it, gasping for air.

I'm alive. I survived.

If she had believed I did anything improper, no explanation could have saved me.

Actually… Victoria's pretty reasonable, isn't she?

Inside the room, Victoria covered her mouth with her hand, muffling her giggles.

Oh, Edward… you clueless idiot. I heard every word.

If you had done anything to me, do you think I'd let you off so easily?

Edward finished washing up and took the elevator to the first-floor dining room.

As soon as he entered, he saw the whole family gathered together for breakfast.

Edward was starving.

Having just escaped a close call, he was thrilled and full of energy. "Oh hey, everyone's here? Dad, Mom, good morning! Wow, today's meal looks great. Hurry up, Ms. Anna, serve me some rice! I'm starving…"

Ms. Anna stood still, awkwardly grinning but not moving.

"Serve me some rice!" Edward looked at the maid. "What's going on?"

He turned to look at his family and noticed that everyone was unusually quiet.

Only Frederick Astor, who wasn't looking at him, sat there expressionless, munching loudly on his food.

Edward sensed something was wrong.

He forced a smile and asked, "Dad, is something wrong?"

Frederick Astor finally looked up at Edward. "Where were you last night?"

Edward understood immediately.

"Oh! I can explain!" Edward said quickly. "That batch of medicine had substandard ingredients. It's my little brother's fault. He cut corners to save costs. Dad, we can't let him get away with this anymore. It's medicine, it's for saving lives! Don't let him near the drug business again…"

Frederick Astor pulled out a broomstick from somewhere.

Yes, in the Astor family, a broomstick was a must-have item, just like in a typical rural household.

Even in their five-story mansion, a broomstick was essential.

The broomstick symbolized the Astor family's ethos!

It was the family's educational tool!

The Astor family's anchor of stability!

And it was also the nightmare of the younger generation!

Edward jumped to his feet and took a step back. "Dad, we need to talk! Why are you grabbing weapons? That batch of medicine really can't be sold! I'll take the loss, okay?"

"I can afford to lose a few billion!" Frederick Astor snapped. "I'm not afraid of you losing money. If I trusted you with the business, I expected you to handle it!"

"Then what's going on?"

"I'm asking you—what did you do yesterday? What did you do to Victoria?"

Edward finally realized his father was angry about this.

"I can explain this too!"

"Explain what? I'll beat you first, then you can explain!"

Frederick Astor sprang up with surprising agility.

"Ah? Dad! Dad, please! It hurts! Oh, Dad! I swear I didn't do anything!"

"You didn't do anything? What kind of man do you think you are? Fuck, any man can flirt, but using such despicable tactics against your fiancée? Is this how I raised you? If I don't beat you today, then the broomstick's a joke!"

"Dad, what did the broomstick ever do to you? Please, let me explain!"

"Explain? Go ahead and explain to the stick in my hand! You're not running anywhere. Stand there! Stand there! Do you hear me? Take your pants off and show me your butt!"

Ms. Astor quickly intervened, "Darling, our son is over twenty and about to get married. You can't do this anymore."

"If I don't beat him, he'll never learn!"

Edward was mortified. "It's really a misunderstanding! Why won't you believe me?"

"Believe you? I believe everyone, except you, you rascal!"

"Dad, don't pull my pants down! Please, have some dignity!"

The father and son were bickering loudly at the table.

At that moment, Victoria appeared on the stairs, awkwardly clearing her throat. Her voice was barely audible as she blushed and said, "Hello, Uncle, Aunt."

Frederick Astor immediately froze, straightened up, and hid the broomstick behind his back. "Oh, Victoria, you're awake! You must be hungry. Come, let's eat, let's eat."

Edward quickly pulled up his pants, his face as red as a tomato.

How embarrassing! To have his pants pulled down and spanked in front of his fiancée—he was mortified.

Victoria couldn't help but find the whole scene absurd. She wanted to laugh but felt it would be rude, so she suppressed her laughter, feeling both shy and awkward.

The Astor family's customs, which she had only heard about before, were even more rustic and straightforward in person.

Ms. Lu quickly approached, taking Victoria's hand. "Victoria, you must be hungry. Did Chengwen make you drink last night? Don't spoil him. If he acts up again, just tell us, and your uncle and I will support you."

Victoria was the eldest daughter of the Lu family.

She was the first executive president of Chifeng Group.

Elegant, noble, and a successful woman in high society.

Now, after getting drunk and being brought to her fiancée's house to stay overnight, the future in-laws knew about it. It was quite damaging to her image.

How would her future in-laws view her now? What kind of woman had she become?

She was so embarrassed, her face red to her neck, like a boiled crab.

Even the most powerful women would feel vulnerable in a situation like this.

She lowered her head, her voice soft. "Uncle, Aunt, really, it's a misunderstanding… last night,

I… I was too reckless. Chengwen didn't… do anything to me."

Edward, seeing Victoria's bashful demeanor, was instantly captivated.

He quickly turned to his father. "See? See? She said it herself. I didn't do anything!"

Frederick Astor gave Edward a sharp knock on the head with the broomstick. "Shut up!"