After Transmigrating into a Novel with My Boyfriend, He Turned Out to Be a Native Villain

Zhao Meng quickly stepped in with a smile. “No, no, no—my brother was just trying to scare you guys. The mountain terrain’s unpredictable, that’s all. He’s just worried about everyone.”

The flesh on Chen Chang’s face jiggled slightly as he laughed with squinty eyes. “C’mon now, we’re all from the big city—let’s put some faith in good ol’ materialism, shall we? Didn’t catch the guide was just messing with you?”

All the players: “......”

Everyone had different reactions, but they still picked up their luggage and followed Zhao Xu.

Longshan was a range of overlapping mountains, all blanketed in vibrant green. Mist and fog wove through the ridges, and from a distance, the landscape resembled a dragon coiled around the peaks.

Du Yanhan was already tired after walking a while, but seeing that no one else was complaining, she gritted her teeth and pushed through.

Her gaze landed on Bo Jingmo up ahead, and she picked up her pace to walk beside him.

“Bo-ge, are you tired?” she asked breathlessly, her voice sweet and dainty.

Bo Jingmo didn’t even glance at her. “No,” he replied blandly.

Du Yanhan’s eyes darted around. After a few more steps, she suddenly pretended to stumble, letting out a little shriek as she fell directly toward Bo Jingmo.

“Ah...”

Qi Mai and Guangran behind her widened their eyes slightly.

Sis… you’re really going all in, huh?

Even the others turned to look after hearing her cry—only to see Du Yanhan staggering as if she were about to fall, while Bo Jingmo simply stepped back with his hands still in his pockets.

His face remained expressionless, but his body paused slightly. He turned his head to glance toward a specific direction in the woods, eyes narrowing.

Just now, he’d caught a glimpse of something red in his peripheral vision.

Yu Li was perched high up in the trees. Seeing Bo Jingmo glance in the direction she’d just been standing, she snapped her fingers with a soft chuckle. “Sharp, aren’t you?”

Then her gaze shifted to Du Yanhan, who’d nearly hit the ground. Her brows arched slightly.

This version of her clear-headed “boyfriend” didn’t seem as easy to fool as last time. He looked... pretty disinterested.

Guess reality really had rattled him.

Yu Li had no doubt—if she appeared in front of Bo Jingmo right now, he wouldn’t hesitate to try and kill her.

After all, they’d only just entered the instance, and Bo Jingmo’s mind was still full of his little junior. NPCs had zero appeal for him.

Yu Li stroked her chin, a smile tugging at her lips.

Time to find a way to make her presence felt.

The whispers from the ghostly souls still echoed in her ears, though now their voices were much softer—probably scared from earlier. They even paused for long stretches between phrases.

“Please... kill them...”

“They deserve to die...”

“Leave none of them... let them all die with us...”

Yu Li shot a cold sideways glance—and the whispers fell silent immediately.

“……”

Fine, we’ll shut up already (o｀ε´o)

The ghosts tried to quietly fade away, but were caught off guard when Yu Li suddenly spoke:

“Is that all you know how to say?”

They froze. Their foggy minds didn’t fully understand what she meant.

“Speak, then.”

Yu Li’s eyes curved in a pleasant arc. “Do me a favor, and I’ll help you kill them.”

The group walked for a long while. After exiting the forest, the land suddenly opened up—and a vast lake lay hidden between the mountains.

Trees towered all around, with vines coiling around their trunks, some even trailing into the water.

A light mist hung over the lake’s surface, mysterious and ethereal. Sunlight streamed through, scattering golden rays across the fog—painting a magical scene like a fantasy dreamscape.

Everyone stood there in awe.

Chen Chang strolled up from the back and spoke proudly, “What’d I tell you? Just like the story—take a few more steps and you’ll find paradise.”

Yi Xian rubbed her sore legs and muttered, “A few steps? Felt more like a few thousand.”

It was the first time she’d ever seen an instance that required this much walking.

Zhao Xu waved them over from a flat clearing. “Over here! We’ll set up tents here later.”

Everyone followed and started unloading their gear.

Du Yanhan pulled Chen Chang aside. “Boss, don’t forget what you promised—put me next to Bo Jingmo tonight.”

Chen Chang waved her off. “Relax, relax. I already told Xiao Meng. When they set up the tents, yours will be right next to his.”

【Wait... are we about to get some NSFW content tonight...?】

【This is exactly why I watch instances. (Nods firmly)】

【LOL keep dreaming—if Du Yanhan manages to sleep next to Bo Jingmo, I’ll call you ‘Dad’ one by one.】

【Whoa, bro. You’re bold.】

【I’m dying—seriously though, Bo Jingmo is so hard to ship. He had two teammates before, and we shipped him with Jiang Xi for a bit, but turns out they never even held hands!】

【I’m telling you, Filia was the most intense ship.】

【What if this instance refreshes the CP list?】

【Honestly y’all make Bo Jingmo sound like a player—falling for someone new every time. LMAO.】

【Nah, you just have to be hot. Bo Jingmo never ships with anyone ugly. Let’s see who he ends up with this time... (definitely not Du Yanhan, she’s already out of the running).】

【Or maybe it’s not about looks. I think he’s drawn to certain traits? Like, maybe the NPCs he vibes with share some hidden commonality.】

【Upstairs, go full detective mode for us, thanks.】

While Zhao Xu went hunting, the others started a fire by the lakeside.

Chen Chang was unexpectedly good at making fires, which shocked the others—especially Du Yanhan. “Boss, you know how to do this? I never would’ve guessed!”

Chen Chang paused, wiping sweat from his forehead—maybe from the heat—and chuckled awkwardly. “I said I’d handle everything, right? Didn’t want you guys to worry, so I made sure to practice.”

Time passed, but Zhao Xu still hadn’t returned, and everyone was getting hungry—especially after that mountain hike.

The chubby programmer glanced at the lake and muttered, “Since there’s a lake right here, why not just catch some fish?”

That immediately got everyone’s attention.

“Yeah, why don’t we fish?” someone said. “We’ve got time anyway, might as well get ourselves a bonus meal.”

By the time Chen Chang finished with the fire and turned around, he saw everyone crowding around the lake, craning their necks to peer down.

His face changed instantly. Forgetting the fire, he shouted, “Get back here!!!”

The sudden roar startled everyone—they nearly tumbled into the water.

Du Yanhan clung to Qi Mai and patted her chest in panic. “Jesus, Boss! You scared the hell out of me!”

Chen Chang realized he’d overreacted. After a pause, he said more calmly, “What are you all looking at? It’s dangerous by the lake. Don’t get too close.”

“We’re just checking if there’s any fish down there,” Ji Xun said with a lazy smile, hands behind his head—but his eyes were full of suspicion and scrutiny.

Why is this NPC so scared of us getting near the lake?

“You boss is just worried about your safety,” Zhao Xu’s flat voice chimed in from nearby.

He walked to the fire pit and dropped a mountain pheasant and a rabbit onto the ground. The scar on his brow creased as he frowned, making his fierce face look even meaner.

Then he turned to the group still lingering by the lake and said sternly, “I told you not to wander. This lake is deep. If anyone falls in and drowns, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Bo Jingmo had been sitting quietly the entire time, head down, idly twirling a twig in his hand. He seemed totally detached from everything around him.

But no one noticed—his grip on the twig was getting tighter and tighter.

A deep shadow clouded Bo Jingmo’s eyes. His whole body was tense.

Why... can he hear those voices again...?