Who is the protagonist?

***

The next day, after Louis had wild fun with Shangguan yesterday, they had now formed a secret relationship unknown to everyone else.

However, despite that, both of them continued to act professionally as if nothing had happened between them.

During that time, the world went on as usual...

"Young Master! Your breakfast is ready! Please eat when you're ready! I have morning classes today, so I'll be leaving first!" Lily shouted from the kitchen as Louis lazily remained in bed this morning.

Shortly after, Lily hopped onto her electric car and headed to campus quickly, leaving the mansion behind.

Hearing the blaring alarm beside him, his consciousness was forcibly brought back.

"Hmm... That girl set the alarm again..."

Lily always set the alarm in the morning so Louis could wake up quickly, even though she wasn't in the mansion anymore, as Lily now had many morning classes while Louis's classes mostly started in the afternoon.

Getting up and going about his usual routine, he then sat on the sofa to have a cup of morning coffee. But then, he heard his phone ringing loudly from the table beside him.

Ring~!!

Picking up his phone and checking who was calling, Louis was somewhat surprised to see that it was Shangguan Qianing.

"Hmm...? Why is she calling at this ungodly hour?"

Feeling puzzled by this, Louis answered the call and brought the phone to his ear.

Only to hear the panicked voice of the woman on the other end.

"L-Louis! M-My husband—, my husband was reported dead in an accident last night!!!" Shangguan exclaimed with a mixed expression.

Instantly, Louis's eyes widened in shock upon hearing this. However, he didn't react too excessively, just worried about why the woman was using such a high tone to convey the news.

"What? How could this happen?" Louis asked with a slightly deeper tone.

Silence lingered for a moment, until the woman finally responded, "I-I don't know for sure. But..."-Her breath caught as she wanted to say it. "It seems that the man's death was planned by someone, namely my mother's chosen future husband, Cao Yi. He's a top heir of a conglomerate company from Shanghai, dominating the domestic electronic market."-Upon hearing this, Louis was slightly stunned. "Cao Yi... Wasn't he the man rumored to have harassed a Shanghai artist and led her to suicide? He's the one your mother chose to marry you off to...?"

"Y-Yes, he's the one my mother chose..."

Hearing the woman's voice beginning to diminish, Louis knew that the problem would likely become even more complicated for him. "Sigh... Alright, we'll meet at your office later."

"Okay..."

Click...

The call ended with all sorts of questions now swirling in Louis's mind.

Massaging his forehead with confusion, he sighed tiredly, "So, the protagonist isn't that scoundrel, huh..."

It seemed from the start that Louis had guessed that perhaps the man he met earlier was the protagonist scoundrel, because he had read hundreds of novels with similar plots, like a son-in-law being bullied by his mother-in-law for being poor and only doing odd jobs, then embarking on a journey of revenge after being dumped by his wife and her mother by revealing that he is an heir to a top conglomerate family.

However, it seemed his guess was wrong.

From the beginning, the protagonist was not that man, but someone else. He only knew that Shangguan Qianing was the heroine because of the notification that her favorability had increased, and he didn't find any notification indicating that he had seen clichéd plots like when he saw Shi Yin about to be assaulted by Tang Chen earlier.

Pondering all of this deeply, one question now lingered in his mind. "So, who is the real protagonist...?"

"Is it Cao Yi? But from any angle, I don't think that's possible... Or is there another random man? Or perhaps, could it be that the protagonist related to Shangguan Qianing's story is a woman? That could be possible, but it seems the author wouldn't add such twists to the story if they didn't want to be criticized by society..."

His mind raced as he thought it all through.

But then, there was a voice that interrupted his thoughts, and he heard his phone ringing again.

Ring~ ring~!!

Turning to his phone, his mind raced back to the previous matter. "Is Miss Shangguan calling again?"

Picking up his phone and checking who was calling, he was quite surprised to see that it was his grandfather.

"Hmm... Grandfather...?"

Without much thought, he answered the call and greeted him politely, "Hello grandfather, good morning."

Shortly after, a hoarse and heavy voice came from the other end, "Yes, good morning, my child. Are you enjoying your day?"

Sipping his coffee while looking at the scenery from the window of his mansion leisurely, Louis responded calmly, "Certainly, grandfather. I am, and also thank you for sending me a very beautiful and smart maid."

Hearing his grandson's response, Old Zhang's voice raised slightly, and he responded with a bit of humor, "Kekeke, of course, my grandson. I know what you desire, and I also know your special relationship with that little girl~"