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

In the afternoon, the director received a call from Ye Ziyue, which surprised him. After hearing her thoughts, the director recalled the footage he’d shot.
He said it was completely fine.
As long as the money was in place, wrapping up was doable. It was just the finishing touches—edit it well, and the ending wouldn’t need much work. Leaving some blanks for the audience to ponder wasn’t a bad idea either.
By around 3 PM, the movie officially wrapped.
This surprised Ye Aotian quite a bit.
So, by around 4 PM, Ye Aotian took his crew and boarded a plane with Ye Zitian. They were headed to Magic City, the Ye family’s territory. The Ye family’s ancestral hall was in the Imperial Capital, but most of the Ye family members were in Magic City.
Plus, Ye Zitian told Ye Aotian an interesting piece of news: if Ye Aotian could quickly produce the ointment, he might be able to find out who Ye Aotian’s mother was.
Meanwhile, Chen Fan seemed to have vanished. He wasn’t at the villa or out listening to music. When Cao Zijin returned and asked around, she was so mad she nearly wanted to set the house on fire.
…
“Chen Fan, you went on a date—who with?” Cao Zijin angrily questioned in the group chat.
Jin Lan said, “Zhu Yeqing?”
“She’s right next to me.”
Liu Feifei said, “Wow, sister, your husband’s out looking for a wild woman—so scary!”
Cao Zijin said, “I want to confirm one thing: who exactly is on a date with Chen Fan? Everyone in this group is a good sister—tell me, I won’t get mad.”
Ghost Mask said, “It’s me.”
??????
Everyone looked at Ghost Mask.
Cao Zijin said, “You know Chen Fan?”
“We didn’t know each other before, but we do now. I’m a death warrior trained by the Chen family. My mission is to protect Chen Fan in his future struggles so he won’t get hurt.”
Ye Ziyue coughed and said, “Ghost Mask, I hope you remember I’m still in this group.”
Ghost Mask said, “I know, but that’s just the truth.”
After saying two sentences, Ghost Mask vanished again.
But it has to be said, Ghost Mask was indeed very beautiful. She was the kind of girl who walked straight out of a village—very simple, very pure.
Her face carried a genuine, untainted charm, and her eyes always held a hint of sorrow. She tied her hair in a ponytail, with bangs casually falling on either side of her forehead.
If she carried a long sword on her back, she’d have the vibe of a female sword immortal, much like a character from some anime. Of course, this was also the author’s little quirk. After all, when writing a novel, shaping female characters out of thin air was completely meaningless.
Most characters were inspired by figures from movies, TV shows, or anime-like roles. If these heroines had seen *Youth’s Song*, they’d probably recognize her appearance.
At this moment, Chen Fan calmly looked at Ghost Mask. Perhaps this was a rare highlight in the novel.
Maybe the author had a moment of conscience and, in the mid-to-late stages, didn’t write so many women—possibly because he couldn’t keep up. Instead, he wrote some very interesting supporting characters with vivid personalities. And Ghost Mask was undoubtedly the most colorful female character.
She was born to represent protection—protection of Chen Fan—but her master, the one who raised her, had a falling out with the Chen family and ultimately chose a side, refusing to help Chen Fan.
From guardianship to hatred, it was a change that happened overnight. Her master’s orders left Ghost Mask with no choice.
In countless moments of protection, the one who developed feelings for her was Chen Fan. So, in every reincarnation, Chen Fan would seek her out.
Whenever Ghost Mask approached him, Chen Fan would greet her with a playful grin. A girl who saved him every time—if he didn’t like her, that’d be a bit too much.
So, every time, Chen Fan would tease her, and this bit of fun was probably his favorite thing. She had a storyline, a description, and influenced the story’s direction, but she didn’t affect the protagonist’s path. That in itself was a good thing.
Sitting across from Ghost Mask, Chen Fan softly said, “Tell me what you like to eat.”
“I’m fine with anything. I can eat whatever—I just need to be full.”
“Hm … I know, but I think we should order something a bit more expensive.”
“Is it okay for me to come out with you like this? If Cao Zijin finds out …”
“My wife, my rules. We have our boundaries. It’s none of my business, and I couldn’t care less about her nonsense. She shouldn’t meddle in my affairs either.”
“You’re … shameless. This is the first time I’ve seen someone talk about sneaking out so righteously.”
“I’m not married yet, so this doesn’t count. This is normal socializing. I genuinely think you’re a really, really good person … that kind of good vibe. You feel like family to me.”
Though Ghost Mask was an enforcer, that didn’t mean she was just a killing machine with no brains. She still had basic anti-scam awareness. She’d even downloaded an anti-fraud guide, after all.
“Young Master Chen, I think your excuse is … a bit too cliché.”
Chen Fan awkwardly said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. I said it—you’re my little sister. I’ll definitely take care of you and cherish you.”
“I think … this is still a bit much. I asked my master, and I think my answer will satisfy you. I’m actually kind of an undercover agent. Your instincts were right—I’m from the Chen family.”
Chen Fan said, “Doesn’t that make it even better? Family on top of family.”
“But … like this, I can’t carry out my mission.”
Truthfully, there wasn’t much of a mission. Ghost Mask was making it up. It’s just that she’d never seen Chen Fan so proactive before—this guy’s enthusiasm was a little overwhelming.
Chen Fan said, “What mission? I’ll talk to the family later, and then you won’t have to do it. Just be my little sister in peace.”
In truth, this was one of the few things Chen Fan could do, because it wouldn’t affect the story at all. This part of the plot was essentially about tormenting himself. Without Ghost Mask’s protection, Chen Fan would feel sad and insecure.
But later on, her storyline just vanished. In other words, this woman’s appearance gave Chen Fan hope, only to plunge him into despair later.
This little interlude stuck deeply in Chen Fan’s memory because, in this novel’s world, it was the freest plotline he could find. No matter how he played it out, it wouldn’t affect the later developments.
Sometimes reincarnations would mess things up, but if it went wrong, he could just start over again.
“You’re staring at me like that—it’s making me a little nervous.”
Chen Fan laughed heartily and said, “How about I treat you to a view?”
Dressed in a simple white shirt and jeans, she stood up and said, “What are we looking at?”
“A view I prepared for you. I just thought of it a few days ago—hehe, it’s really nice. I originally planned to enjoy it alone, but now, having someone with me, is still pretty good.”
After speaking, Chen Fan brought Ghost Mask to the top floor of the restaurant.
Dedicated security had already prepared red wine and a table for Chen Fan.
Chen Fan said, “Alright, get ready.”