After being reborn, the villain comes with a spoiler tag.

Seeing that Su Yixuan was determined to hang herself on Huo Yu, the system stopped trying to dissuade her and instead prompted:

[To find out which of the following targets in this world has the highest favorability rating, you need to pay 10 points. Confirm execution?]

【confirm. 】

Su Yixuan gritted her teeth and replied in her mind.

Almost as soon as the word "recognize" was uttered, the system provided the search results:

[Points deducted successfully. The following are the top three in terms of favorability with Huo Yu, the second target of the strategy, in the current world:]

[First place: Long Yucheng, favorability score 20. Second place: All others, favorability score 0.]

【? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 】

Su Yixuan was now completely bewildered and asked incredulously:

[No? Huh? No, who is this person? Is this even human?]

The system's response remains formulaic:

[Target number two is the final boss of this world, and it is quite difficult. It is recommended that you start with target number one, which is easier, in the early stages.]

[No, this isn't right, is it? Is this...is this reasonable?]

After once again voicing a question that she herself didn't know what she was questioning, Su Yixuan couldn't help but turn her gaze to the two people next to the rice cake vendor's stall.

Long Yucheng took the two steaming bamboo tubes and, smiling, stuffed one into Huo Yu's hand.

Huo Yu accepted it very naturally, as if it were not the first time he had been fed. He stood by the roadside and used a bamboo skewer to pick up a long strip of rice cake.

The world's greatest villain, the first person in a thousand years to attempt ascension, the mighty Demon Lord, casually ate rice cakes on a street bustling with mortals, oblivious to everyone around him.

This is a scene that Su Yixuan needs to forget for the rest of her life.

Su Yixuan paused to think for a moment between typing question marks, then said to the system:

Check the favorability ratings of the first target for romance with other characters.

[To find the top three most popular characters in this world according to the first strategy target, you need to pay 10 points. Confirm execution?]

It's said that people laugh when they're speechless, and Su Yixuan was in that state of neither joy nor sorrow, even feeling a little like laughing. She calmly confirmed with the system:

【Sure. 】

The system once again provided the query results at lightning speed:

[Points deducted successfully. The following are the top three in terms of favorability with Long Yucheng, the primary target of our strategy:]

[First place: Huo Yu, favorability 50. Second place: Guan Fengyue, favorability 25. Third place: Lian Hu, favorability 20.]

Who is Guan Fengyue?

Su Yixuan completely ignored the two men and immediately focused on the unfamiliar name in the middle, wondering if she had seen this person in the character profiles of this world.

It took me a while to realize:

Wait, why is the protagonist's favorability rating towards the villain only 50?

Su Yixuan's shock was not without reason. When she activated the strategy system, she obtained a permanent buff called "Charming Aura," which directly raised the minimum level of affection that all non-strategy targets of the opposite sex had for her to fifty.

This is why any man who makes eye contact with her will involuntarily develop feelings for her; some, like that Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Zhang before, even become possessed by a domineering CEO and fight over her. Even the Eighth Prince, who is "anti-love brain," only doesn't show it on his face, but it doesn't mean he isn't moved.

And Long Yucheng's favorability rating towards Huo Yu is also 50! What does that mean?

It's not thirty, it's not forty, it's fifty!

The system understood her question and explained:

The "Most Popular Person" system uses a base value of 50 for "romantic affinity." However, the scope of affinity extends far beyond this; non-romantic feelings are also included in the affinity system's statistics.

If a romantic attraction level of 50 symbolizes "heart-fluttering" feelings, then a non-romantic attraction level of 50 might represent the affection between close friends, family members, teachers and students, or even a beloved pet. The bond between siblings in a typical family usually falls between 50 and 75, but the vast majority of them do not experience romantic feelings for each other.

Even so, Su Yixuan still found it hard to accept. She quickly thought of another crucial question, her tone tinged with urgency:

[Can non-romantic affection reach 100?]

One hundred favorability points is an extremely special value. It signifies "one and only in this life." For Su Yixuan, it represents the achievement of "complete conquest" and is the key to the next world.

Once someone's affection level with another person reaches 100, they will not develop the same level of affection for a second person, regardless of whether their affection level with the first person drops below 100 later, or even if the person with 100 affection points dies.

If Long Yucheng's favorability towards Huo Yu rises to 100, even if it only lasts for a brief moment, Su Yixuan will forever lose the chance to completely win over Long Yucheng.

The system replied:

The answer is no. Non-romantic liking is not exclusive, therefore it cannot reach 100. The upper limit for non-romantic liking is 90, which is roughly equivalent to "close friendship."

Su Yixuan quickly thought of another possibility:

What if the friendship changes? What if the family bond changes? What if filial piety changes? Is it possible for non-romantic feelings to turn into romantic feelings?

The system dutifully explained:

This system only allows you to view affinity levels and does not distinguish between "romantic affinity" and "non-romantic affinity." This classification is merely a theoretical model designed to help the host more easily understand how the affinity system works.

In reality, because the human emotional system is so complex, even humans themselves often find it difficult to clearly define the boundary between romantic feelings and non-romantic feelings.

【What's the meaning? 】

Su Yixuan was taken aback, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and instantly understood the system's response, which was essentially a disclaimer:

Holy crap, there are gay men here!

Just as Su Yixuan was roaring at the system in her mind, a slender hand reached out in front of her.

"Eat?"

Su Yixuan looked up and saw Long Yucheng holding a bamboo tube in his left hand and handing her a steaming hot tube with a bamboo skewer stuck inside.

The aroma of spices wafted over, not too strong, but just right to whet the appetite of diners. Su Yixuan almost instinctively took the bamboo tube.

Looking down, I saw strips of rice cake swaying gently in the clear broth, like tiny white fish. A thin layer of oil floated on the surface, garnished with a few bright green scallions, emitting an enticing aroma of lard.

Since entering this world, Su Yixuan has not eaten mortal food for a long time.