The Correct Strategy to Approach the Yandere Supporting Male Lead

Li Ruoshui is an ordinary woman thrust into the world of a romantic mystery novel called The Game of Cat and Mouse by a mysterious system. Her mission is to win the heart of Lu Zhiyao, a male supporting character described in the book as gentle, devoted, and kind. To facilitate this, the system places her in the role of a kidnapped victim in the story’s opening case, sending out a bounty notice for her rescue. However, the reality of the situation is far more perilous than the text suggests. Confined in a freezing dungeon with other drugged women, Li Ruoshui waits for her savior while enduring the cruelty of Mama Yang, a brutal madam who prepares to torture her with silver needles.

Lu Zhiyao arrives not as the soft-spoken hero Li Ruoshui expected, but as a blind, enigmatic figure radiating a dangerous and unsettling energy. He moves with a cane and wears white robes, smiling warmly even as he swiftly dispatches Mama Yang’s men with lethal precision. His demeanor is polite and gentle, yet his actions reveal a bloodthirsty nature that terrifies Li Ruoshui. He challenges the captives to identify him, and when Li Ruoshui correctly guesses his surname, Lu, she engages him in a wager: she claims to have dreamed of their future together, including their partnership with the novel’s protagonists, the constable Lu Feiyue and the fugitive Jiang Nian. If her dream comes true, Lu Zhiyao must spare her; if she loses, she agrees to swallow his sword.

Lu Zhiyao, intrigued by her audacity and the novelty of her claim, agrees to the bet. He takes Li Ruoshui under his protection, and the two check into an inn while waiting for the main characters to arrive. During this time, Li Ruoshui struggles to reconcile the book’s description of Lu Zhiyao as a tender romantic lead with the violent, unpredictable man before her. She observes his sharp senses and his disturbing fascination with danger, noting that his gentleness is merely a mask for a chaotic and sadistic core. Their interactions are tense, marked by Li Ruoshui’s attempts to survive his whims while trying to build the emotional bond required by her mission.

When Lu Feiyue and Jiang Nian finally arrive, the group travels together to investigate the trafficking ring. They discover a hidden dungeon beneath a mountain hut, where Li Ruoshui and Lu Zhiyao fall into a deep pit. Suspended on a sword blade above a dark abyss, Lu Zhiyao teases her with the prospect of death, his excitement at the brink of danger alarming Li Ruoshui. They are eventually caught by a net and continue their journey through underground tunnels, guided by Lu Zhiyao’s acute hearing. The group emerges into a pear grove, where they witness the trafficking operation’s main hub: cages filled with drugged women awaiting transport.

A woman in white mourning clothes, driven by a deep personal vendetta, attacks Lu Zhiyao, revealing that he is a known monster in her eyes. Lu Zhiyao fights with frenzied joy, displaying his overwhelming martial prowess and lack of mercy. Li Ruoshui is taken hostage by the woman, but Jiang Nian intervenes, turning the tide. The woman reveals that Lu Zhiyao has been involved in these crimes for five years, yet she refuses to cooperate unless he is killed. Li Ruoshui secures the antidote for the drugged girls through cunning rather than violence, saving the captives. The story concludes with the group having uncovered the immediate threat, but Li Ruoshui remains trapped in her wager with a man whose true nature is far more complex and dangerous than the novel ever indicated.