From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)-Chapter 214: The Wrong Kind of Hero

Micah didn’t want to deal with Archie. If he had a choice, he wouldn’t even look in his direction and would keep his distance on purpose. It was easier and safer that way. But Archie wasn’t just cannon fodder in the novel. No, he was the second male lead. And that made him a potential threat.

Micah knew better than to let his guard down. He needed to keep tabs on him. Understanding your enemy was the best way to keep him from becoming dangerous. You couldn’t just ignore someone like Archie, especially when something was definitely off.

Archie had been acting strangely, stiff, silent, and not reacting to his calling. His eyes had this far-off look, like he was trapped somewhere no one could enter.

Micah stood, leaning sideways, staring at Archie’s face. He chewed on the inside of his cheek. Should he leave it alone? Walk away? Call someone else to deal with Archie?

He almost did.

But then Archie’s expression changed. A flicker of something dark passed through his eyes.

Something bad had happened.

Micah cursed under his breath. Fine.

He braced himself for the worst.

Yes. He should at least try to find out what it was. Maybe he could use it to his advantage. And if not, well, at least he would gain some favour. Micah nodded to himself.

So Micah grabbed his arm and yanked Archie toward the restroom without a word.

Archie didn’t even resist.

Micah shoved the door open with his shoulder, dragged Archie inside, and turned the tap on full blast. He cupped his hands and splashed it right in Archie’s face.

Archie just stared at him in a trance.

"Snap out of it, alright? I don’t know what’s going on, but you can’t let that mess with your head before the final," Micah said, sounding worried, but deep down, he was just mostly annoyed.

His approach earlier was for selfish reasons, thinking he could fish for something to use against Archie. But Archie’s face just now...

That wasn’t normal. Micah could still see the haunted look in his eyes.

What could have happened to him? Was it related to Darcy? No, the two acted civilised during matches.

Was it something else? Was it another team? Had they threatened him? Like in the novel, they had sent some thugs to crush Archie’s hands? Could it be something like that? What if Archie’s personality changed to the version in the novel? Sly and manipulative? Obsessive and insane?

After all the trouble he had gone through, he couldn’t let Archie become just like in the novel. He thought that helping Russell would have been enough to stop Archie from going down that dark path. But now he wasn’t sure. What if in two years, Archie still turned into one of the four psychos? What if he ended up obsessed with Darcy anyway?

Micah’s mind raced. No. He needed to drag Archie to the bright side!

Meanwhile, Archie blinked rapidly, clearing his vision. He lifted his hand and wiped the water from his face. He brushed his wet brown hair aside slowly. Then he tilted his head and, to Micah’s surprise, chuckled.

Micah raised an eyebrow. Did he lose his mind?

Archie stared at him for a second, then his expression softened. "Thank you..." he said softly. "I really needed that before doing something stupid."

Micah crossed his arms and leaned on the sink next to him. "What happened? Someone sabotage your team? Mess with your reputation?"

Archie shook his head. "Nope. Nothing like that. Honestly, we’re doing great. Because of you, we made it to the final way easier than expected."

Micah frowned. "So what was that all about? You looked like you were ready to murder someone."

Archie lowered his eyes. His jaw clenched for a second before he spoke again. "I just heard something unpleasant. That’s all. I let it get to me," Archie said, a bitter smile on his face.

"That was it? Are you serious?" Micah said, incredulous. "What the hell? You were about to dive into the lion’s den over that?"

"What lion’s den?"

"Your fans? Russell said they are crazy," Micah said.

Archie paused. He ran a hand through his hair. "I think he exaggerated a bit."

"You think? So we could just... I don’t know, step outside to get some air without being trampled?" Micah asked, his eyes filled with hope.

Archie smirked. "If you’re willing to pay the price, I might know a way to sneak out without getting mobbed."

Micah’s guard went up. "What price? What do you want?" he hugged himself tightly. "You’re talking like a shady rogue trying to scam me. Like someone who is after my body!" Micah said with a dramatic shiver, rubbing his arms in disgust.

Archie threw his head back and laughed. "Ah. You have a knack for saying the strange things sometimes."

Micah eyed him. Honestly, after reading that absurd novel, if anyone didn’t have strange thoughts, Micah felt like they deserved a medal.

"I’m not the one making shady offers in a bathroom." Micah retorted.

Archie wiped away tears from laughing too hard. "Yeah, yeah. I am the weird one. Anyway, what do you think? Do you wanna go out?"

Micah stared at him, then looked away. He was relieved. Archie seemed normal again. The blank, haunted look from earlier was gone now, replaced by that annoying confidence he usually carried.

Micah shook his head vigorously. "On second thought. Nope. I’m good," he said and walked toward the exit, but paused halfway. Without turning around, he said quietly, "If... if something’s wrong, if you ever really need help, just come to me. Don’t do something stupid."

Then he walked out before Archie could respond.

Micah walked off quickly, eyes on the floor.

That had been a disaster.

He went in hoping to pull some information from Archie. Something he could use. But all he got were vague answers. Total failure.

Hearing something unpleasant? What could have been? Huh? Who falls apart like that over words? Was Archie this sensitive?

Micah stopped in his tracks. Yeah. When he thought about it, he was.

In the novel, Archie acted tough most of the time, but when it came to Darcy, every little thing seemed to affect him.

Archie had flipped out when Darcy had left to take care of his sick mother, accusing him of neglect. He had gone ballistic. Picked fights. Sulked for days. Micah remembered that part clearly.

Micah chuckled under his breath. Archie truly resembled a giant bear. Outside he was big, intimidating and hard to read. But inside, he was so sensitive. Easily got upset. Got hurt.

Well. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.

It would work in his favour.

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