DANMEI Reading List (RAW) Pt. 2

341. Transmigrating into the Villain's Sickly Childhood Friend

Translator: Second Life Translations

Chapters: 142 + 1 Extra

Tag: transmigrated in a book, 70s, poor to rich, gangs, strong ML

Synopsis:

Qiao Wen was accidentally transmigrated into a 1970s Hong Kong style novel and became cannon fodder with the same name who died young.

The cannon fodder was the villain's childhood friend in the novel. Due to a lack of funds, he died of a serious illness. His death was also the catalyst for the villain's descent into madness, leading him down a bloody path of unscrupulous deeds for money, which eventually resulted in his tragic death from a stray bullet.

Qiao Wen, who had just awoken from a coma in a hospital bed, gazed at the dashing villain who was about to cut people with a knife in order to raise enough money to treat the original owner.

—— I believe this individual can still be saved.

While trying to make a fortune and get out of the slums, Qiao Wen stopped the villain from going dark.

It was necessary to establish a factory and engage in commercial activity.

Investing in stocks and real estate speculation are not to be overlooked.

It was also necessary to make movies and earn money in the entertainment industry.

In the meantime, fight evil forces in order to bring justice to the world.

——I am a legend, not a cannon fodder.

Just as everything seemed to be going smoothly, Qiao Wen noticed that the villain's eyes were becoming increasingly strange, as if they had gone to the darkside.

He comforted the other person by patting them on the shoulder and saying, " we'll be good brothers, for a lifetime."

En, good brothers under one quilt, said someone with a grin on his face.

Impressions: I surprisingly liked this. I mean, its not fluffy, and it's also kind of serious so I didn't expect to like it that much.

So our MC transmigrated into a novel as the (cue title) villain's sickly childhood friend. In order to raise money to send the sickly childhood friend to a hospital, our villain ML took an assassination/hit order from their underworld Boss. In the book, he killed the male protagonist's father and became the villain/target of the protagonist's revenge from then on. However, even if the villain ML completed the kill, it was already too late and his childhood friend had already died. Our MC transmigrated when the childhood friend died, he got up and went to stop our ML from doing the assassination. Since he's okay now then there's no need to raise money anymore so ML really didn't do it, and by accident, he even saved the target/male lead's father instead from other assassins. They even became friends with the male lead XD

Our ML is part of a gang/underworld. They collect protection money, operate brothels, gambling halls, human trafficking, arms dealer, the whole deal. ML joined for the money and also for protection of his family to ensure that they wouldn't get bullied inside their city. MC & ML family live inside the Kowloon Walled City, its apparently a lawless place. It isn't under police jurisdiction(?) at the time so its literally lawless. ML's gang is stationed there. 

Our ML is strong and knows martial arts but he's hiding his strength just acting like a small lackey in the gambling hall so that the Boss won't see his true ability and send him to do more dangerous missions/crimes. However, he exposed his strength when protecting MC. Forgot to mention but childhood friend is extremely pretty so some people would covet him. In the past, the original is timid so he would always look down/hide when he meets people so they didn't see his face but now with MC going outside and being with ML, his beauty started to get noticed. Anyways, ML defeated one of the cadre of their organization and his strength is completely exposed. The boss sends him to Vietnam to sell weapons in order to 'atone' for his sin. MC comes with him.

MC exposed his knowledge/expertise and help ML's group survive. After coming back from the mission, ML gets promoted in the gang and replaced the cadre he defeated. This also means that he is exposed to more crimes, the boss sent him to collect protection money and to fight with other gangs for territory. Meanwhile, our MC worked for the protagonist and became a factory manager. He mostly invested in stocks, and later withdrew before the stock market crashed. Then he used that capital to open a real estate company with ML. Later... the Boss of ML's gang wanted to sell drugs and partnered up with a Drug Lord. Our ML didn't want to do it so he got in touch with the police and helped them arrest the Drug Lord and Gang Boss. Later, ML quit the gang, left the Walled City and opened a martial arts hall. When MC & him opened an entertainment company, he became a martial arts director.

Anyways, its a serious career line, then they meet a rival company who also used to be a gang/underworld but is now using the entertainment company for money laundering. MC was also almost killed by him (hired a hitman) and in order to retaliate and be safe, they had to find evidence to send him to jail. Hmm... compared to the usual faceslapping when encountering villains, the development here is more on uncovering the other party's crime etc. cos the villains here are literal villains: drug lords, gang leaders/Underworld Boss. They meet several villains and solve them this way.

When it comes to romance, our ML first noticed that he has become 'perverted' to his childhood friend and was horrified. Fortunately, our MC enlightened him that there's nothing wrong with gay as long as you're not forcing the other party. When MC sensed that ML might confess to him, he first told him the truth about his transmigration, so ML finally knew why the childhood friend he only treated as a younger brother has suddenly changed and became more attractive to him. He is sure that he really likes MC. Our MC is more...go with the flow. He waited for ML's confession and finally confronted him about it. (Lol. ML is quite cute) seeing that he planned to keep hiding his feelings.

Ending is... MC & ML uncovering the identity of the villain BOSS/mastermind behind the scenes and also coming out to their respective families. 

I like this, MC is clever, he's actually more like a villain than our villain ML sometimes XD I really like ML's character, he's straightforward and surprisingly caring. He joined the gang to keep his family safe and didn't really want to do evil. The setting is also very interesting, like there are rules of the Underworld...like you can't casually make a move on civilians/non-members of their gang. Family members as well are off-limits. There is a rule for leaving the gang etc. etc. And the ups and downs in the novels are quite exciting(?). I mean, its not the usual protagonist being drugged or framed or insulted etc. by the villains. Its...hiring hitmen or rigging the brake of their car...its more... triad. The background is a special period when triad/gangs are rampant in Hongkong. Quite different from the 70s novels set in the mainland (resume of college entrance examination, opening of the economy etc), but I enjoyed it.

Anyways, read this for a different 70s CN.