Villain – Peeking at the Diary, the Female Leads’ Personas Collapse

Seems pretty solid.
“With this, practically every girl will fall for you. Sigh, I’ll have loads of love rivals. It’s so troubling. I’m going to have to fight off mistresses.”
During the reincarnation cycle, Chen Fan didn’t know much about this woman. They only interacted a few times, but every time he got angry, he’d scold her.
Chen Fan, as an antagonist, couldn’t stand taking orders from others, and Cao Zijin was the only woman who could rival Jin Lan. Most times, if he took her advice, he wouldn’t go down the wrong path, but he stubbornly chose his way.
If the antagonist’s path was always correct, what about the protagonist? Then the protagonist wouldn’t be Ye Aotian but himself.
But as his family eventually declined under his own hand, Cao Zijin’s words gradually carried weight. By then, though, it was too late. So, in the later story, Chen Fan’s role was reduced to being a kept man, but he still wouldn’t let go of his grudge against the protagonist.
Although each time he was more like a clown. Yet, he survived till the end, enduring to the novel’s closing scene.
“Am I good-looking?” Cao Zijin looked at Chen Fan. He turned away, ignoring her.
Just then, the operations department walked in. “Boss, you wanted to see me?”
“This is our new spokesperson. Draft a contract, and the endorsed product is the latest one. Get someone to check the basics of the product afterward.”
The operations manager’s eyes widened at the sight of Cao Zijin.
While the boss might usually seem unreliable, if he’s getting a celebrity endorsement, and from Cao Zijin, the nation’s goddess, at that, it’s really something.
This would easily put their company ahead of the competitor’s. Their stock would skyrocket.
“Don’t worry, boss. With Goddess Cao Zijin on board, I’m sure the company will be stronger than ever.”
“Alright, get it done. Get the makeup shots ready for me. Oh, and think of a tagline too.”
The operations manager hesitated. “Boss, why don’t you come up with the tagline yourself?”
He regretted it the moment he said it, feeling like slapping himself. What was he thinking, asking this useless second-generation rich kid to come up with a tagline?
If the company used one of his taglines, it’d be completely ruined.
Chen Fan chuckled, giving a sly smile.
Cao Zijin felt a chill down her spine, a bad feeling creeping over her.
This guy definitely couldn’t come up with anything good.
“To reach the peak and see all beneath.”
Chen Fan suddenly recalled an interesting tagline. It was a famous lingerie tagline in his world, a clever blend of ancient poetry and modern product promotion.
This time, Chen Fan actually got it right.
The operations manager was dumbfounded. This line matched Cao Zijin perfectly. After all, she had always branded herself as a queen figure.
This was absolutely insane.
Cao Zijin was also taken aback, watching Chen Fan
Her worry was unnecessary.
This part was designed to give the protagonist a challenge, meaning as the protagonist levelled up, the antagonist must as well. And Chen Fan’s level-up was marked by Cao Zijin’s involvement, helping the stock to stabilize.
Once it’s balanced, a face-slapping moment will be even more entertaining.
“Alright, get to work.”
Cao Zijin got up, taking a half-eaten pastry and feeding it to Chen Fan. After a long pause, he reluctantly ate it.
The operations manager felt murderous; he, too, was a fan of Cao Zijin.
It didn’t take long for news of Chen Fan’s developments to reach Ye Aotian.
The moment it was announced that Cao Zijin had joined Chen Fan’s pharmaceutical company, the stock price shot up like a rocket.
Ye Aotian said, “Zheng Shaoyang, I need a reason. How does a mere actress have this much influence?”
Zheng Shaoyang shrugged. “Cao Zijin is a unique presence. She rarely has scandals, and she represents her own brand of influence. Besides, Chen Fan’s company is launching a new product, apparently related to the female body.”
“Small-minded fools, always thinking about vulgar things. How can that compare to my ‘Longevity Soup’?”
They’re two different concepts.
Zheng Shaoyang explained, “The Longevity Soup is for emergencies, but it’s not something people want to take all the time. After all, no one wants to consume life-saving drugs for no reason.”
Ye Aotian responded, “True, but our product has more value. Although, if Chen Fan were truly useless, bullying him wouldn’t be very enjoyable.”
Zheng Shaoyang sighed.
Xiao Lan brought Ye Aotian a cup of water. “The Ling family said it’s best for you to avoid getting too worked up lately; you need to take care of your health.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the hard work you and Shaoyang have done while I was away.”
Ling Xiaoyun, who was nearby, glanced disdainfully without responding.
Of course, it was hard work; these two acted like they’ve never seen men and women before, clinging to each other all day.
But Ling Xiaoyun was also worried for Ye Aotian. If he kept straining his internal energy, the Ling family could end up with a eunuch as its head.
Who knows what direction the Ling family would take in the future.
“It’s nothing serious; I’ll just go for a walk.”
With that, he left.
At this moment, Chen Fan was in his office, writing in his diary, when he suddenly thought of something and started laughing.
Everyone around him grew alert.
Cao Zijin felt stifled as she read this.
Why is her character written like this? Even if she’s a secondary female lead and ends up with Ye Aotian, she wouldn’t mind as much—at least she’d still be a lead, right?
But she was an antagonist. For someone like Cao Zijin, who competed for the top spot in acting, playing an antagonist was …
What was an antagonist, anyway? It was a supporting role meant to be cursed by the audience.

Curiosity peaked.