How to Survive as a Villain vol. 02

How to Survive as a Villain #2

by Yi Yi Yi Yi

Genres: LGBT, Fantasy, Romance, Historical, M M Romance, China, Enemies To Lovers

378 pages, Paperback

Published April 30, 2025

About the author

Associated Names:
* 伊依以翼 (Chinese)
* Yi Yi Yi Yi (English)
* Y.Y. Dĩ Dực (Vietnamese)

Reviews

[thedeadlyscimitar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously, how is this series not more popular?? This is literally the best book that I’ve read all year! I absolutely adored this book so much! The only reason that I didn’t finish it more quickly is because I was trying really hard to pace myself considering the next volume hasn’t even gone up for pre-order yet and I really wanted to savor this book as much as possible before having to endure another torturous wait to find out the conclusion to the story. I seriously don’t know how I’m going to survive (get it because of the title) the next few months without more Yanxiao! For me, this series is right up there with my favorites, MDZS and TGCF! It’s literally that good! I’m not kidding, if you like danmei then you have to read this series! Like! Right! Now!

Anyway, on to the actual review. As much as I loved the first volume of How to Survive as a Villain I enjoyed this second volume at least five times more. Even more so than the first volume, this one was very much an emotional roller coaster in the best sense possible. I felt so many things while I was reading this. There were moments where is was quite literally laughing out loud. Moments when I was unabashedly kicking my feet and squealing with excitement and blissful glee over the sweet romantic scenes. Moments when I cried and felt like my heart was being crushed into pieces. And moments where I was so angry with a particular character that I wanted to murder the man with my bare hands. This story literally has everything that I, personally, could possibly want!

Both within the danmei genre and outside of it, I read quite a bit of romance. Even so, I very rarely find a story with a romance that makes my heart flutter and has me hugging the book against my chest as I grin like a madwoman and squeal in pure delight. This was absolutely one of them! I love Xiao Yu’an and Yan Heqing SO much! I will absolutely go down with this ship! Personally, I am way more of a fan of sweet, loving relationships and I get way more enjoyment out of reading fluff than spice. There is a little bit of spice in this book, though nothing overly explicit. Definitely don’t go into this expecting anything too steamy. What this book does extremely well is the sweet fluff, heart-wrenching longing and unshakable devotion. All of which is what I personally live for! If you are looking for a danmei with a lot of romance and sweet moments, I would highly recommend this one!

As for the story outside of the romance, I really enjoy the historical setting of this novel. I will say that the plot definitely revolves quite a bit around the central romance (there are also some very cute side couples as well) but it also has a solid storyline. This is a transmigration novel, but that isn’t really central to the plot aside from setting up Xiao Yu’an’s character. Obviously, the fact that he’s originally from modern times has a profound impact on his personality, way of looking at the world and also his preconceptions about the story and characters of the novel that he has transmigrated into. Most of the story revolves around the historical events that take place in the world of the novel. Although, as I admittedly don’t really know much about the actual history of ancient China, I have no idea if any of this is even remotely historically accurate or if its all completely fictional.

Though there are some political aspects to this novel, that isn’t as much the focal point as it was in the first book. A large part of the focus in this volume is on the war going on between Southern Yan and Eastern Wu, but this is still far from being a war novel. It is, first and foremost, a romance story and the focal point is absolutely on the relationship between Yan Heqing and Xiao Yu’an. That being said, there are some scenes of graphic violence, severe injury and even torture, so be warned if those things bother you. I would consider myself fairly squeamish when it comes to gore and violence, but I was able to make it through without too much difficulty. There was only one scene that really got to me, which involved one of the main characters being brutally tortured.

One of the best things this story has going for it, beyond the amazing romance, is the incredibly loveable cast of characters. Xiao Yu’an specifically is one of my all time favorite danmei protagonists. I would put him right up there with the likes of Wei Wuxian, Shen Qiao and Xie Lian. He’s just such an adorkable goofball and a precious cinnamon roll that I can’t help but love him! Admittedly, he can be extremely dense and absolutely clueless when it comes to anything involving Yan Heqing. I know that’s something that bothers some readers, but personally I didn’t mind it. I thought it fit with Xiao Yu’an’s character and also made sense given his preconceptions about the novel he read before transmigrating into it. There were certainly times when I couldn’t help but shake my head and roll my eyes at his utter lack of awareness and his ability to spectacularly misinterpret a situation through a series of wacky mental gymnastics, but it never got to the point where I found it annoying. If anything, I found his unassuming and comically dense personality endearing. More than that though, Xiao Yu’an is just such a kind soul with a huge heart who always does his best to help the people around him, even at great cost to himself. I actually find it refreshing that he isn’t really a fighter and yet he still does everything in his power to protect people and bring happiness and joy to everyone he meets. He even goes so far as to become a physician so that he can save lives and help the injured.

This is a danmei that has pretty much everything that I could personally want. I love the historical setting. There are many lovable characters and even side characters, as well as an interesting political/war plot. There’s just the right amount of angst mixed with comedy, tender romance and excitement. The dynamic between the main couple is sweet, loving and devoted, which is exactly the kind of thing that I enjoy. Though I absolutely do not judge anyone else’s tastes, I’m not personally a fan of stories that have more toxic or abusive relationships. If you are someone who also enjoys the things that I just mentioned or has similar tastes to mine, then I would one hundred and fifty percent recommend this series! And, especially if you read and enjoyed the first volume, then you owe it to yourself to read this one right now!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

The story picks right up after the events in vol 1.

So much happens in this volume between Xiao Yu'an (MC) and Yan Heqing (ML). We have:

The breakup
The makeup
And then the CONFESSION when all the miscommunication finally gets cleared up.

It is a slower pace compared to vol 1 because we're dealing with the aftermath of the conquest of the Northern Kingdom. I liked that this was addressed. I loved the found family that Xiao Yu'an finds himself in as he deserves every happiness.

Roll on the 3rd and final volume!

TW:
- Attempted rape of Princess Yongning (MC's sister) happens in the 1st chapter so brace yourselves. Thankfully she is saved in the nick of time and gets her happy ending with Xiao PingYang.
-The suicide of Xiao Yu'an's mum goes into a lot of detail how she actually died
-Gore, torture & PTSD all caused by war

[V~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 🌟
I absolutely love this story! The amount of sweetness makes up for the pain one endures during the angsty sad moments.
I love how silly Xiao Yu'an is. I love how devoted Yan Heqing is. He will stop at nothing to be able to be by Xiao Yu'an side. Even buldozing through Xiao Yu'an's stubbornness and cluelessness.

He just wants to keep him in his pocket and for the most part is very transparent about his feelings. It's just... Xiao Yu'an is a little airheaded when it comes to Yan Heqing's devotedness for him. Never in his right mind would he possibly think that the protagonist has developed feelings for him.

The beginning of this volume was heart wrenching, and all because Xiao Yu'an believes he's hated to the core. So many people treat him horribly, and he suffers so. But he later lives two years of happiness and peaceful life. He's silly and loves to quote poe. They literally come out of him as if he were an open encyclopedia. 😂 He runs into Yan Heqing in the most precious way and they have such domestic moments. They spend lots of time together and maybe... Maybe we get a confession in this volume. 😉

Up until the author decides to make you cry your soul out with more pain by squeezing your heart out of your chest... Torture seems to follow our main character, but the sweetness that follows makes you cry more. I'm excited to see what happens in the next and final volume. I can already feel the angst cooking! 😭

[Queens Love Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Life is bitter and short, so we must grasp happiness whenever it comes and do our part to build a harmonious and peaceful society together!”



The book starts on a serious note, but it doesn’t take long for the humor to slip back in. The story blends intense moments with bursts of comedy in a way that keeps things unpredictable without losing its rhythm. Xiao Yu’an continues to shine as a chaotic and lovable protagonist—his internal monologues and offbeat logic are both confusing to those around him and endlessly entertaining for readers. The tone walks a fine line, but that clash between life-or-death tension and sudden ridiculousness works surprisingly well.

Reading this made me rethink my take on transmigration. I’d just told a Danmei group that I wasn’t really into the genre—but when I look back, I’ve enjoyed every transmigration Danmei I’ve picked up. Maybe it’s just the non-Danmei ones I couldn’t connect with. What’s funnier is that I stopped reading the fan translation and the manhua right around the same point this volume ends. It’s like I unintentionally bookmarked the story at the exact spot in every version. Now I’m debating whether to wait for the next print volume or pick the manhua back up just to see what happens next.

Xiao Yu’an definitely carries the momentum, but Yan Henqing adds a quiet contrast to his chaos. He’s reliable, gentle, and one of the greenest of the green flags I’ve seen in Danmei, though he still feels a bit underdeveloped at this point. I kept waiting for a little more complexity from him, but maybe that growth is coming in later volumes. As for the physical book itself, Rosmei continues to deliver high-quality prints. The pages feel nice, the binding is sturdy, and the cover art is clean and display-worthy—exactly what I’ve come to expect from their editions.

Date Read: 2025.07.08

[Megan ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted the angst to last sliiiightly longer, but definitely enjoyed this volume immensely.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series being marketed as a comedy must've been in the Shakespearean sense because I spent more time crying this volume than laughing

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know where to begin with this.

I had to push my current reading aside because the first volume ended on a cliffhanger. So I needed to know what happened to these babies. DESPERATELY. Much to my surprise, I originally thought this was only going to be two volumes, but the "TBC" at the end has me eyeing volume 3 (when??). I'm relieved too because if it had left some things unanswered, after the constant slowburn teasing, I probably would have considered ripping my hair out. lol Needless to say, I'm eager for the next volume.

Just like with the first volume, this one contains a lot of graphic scenes regarding torture. Thankfully that's about the most of it comparing it to the first one - though there is mention of s**cide as well, albeit briefly.

Moving away from that, this book swept along quickly, moving through everything fluidly and already starting to tie up a lot of loose ends. It balanced tragedy with romance and comedy really well, and even showed some great character development. I think my favorite part was seeing how karma played out towards the end of the book. :) We love a devoted king.

So as not to ramble too much, if you read the first book and loved it as much as I did, the second one if well worth diving into. <3

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yan Heqing has conquered the Northern Empire despite Xian Yu'an's desperate attempts to avoid that outcome. Certain Yan Heqing hates him, he and his sister, Princess Yongning, escape with the help of a few familiar faces, then go their separate ways as they each follow their hearts' desires. For his part, Xiao Yu'an takes on a new identity (using his original name) and becomes an apprentice apothecary in a quiet, peaceful border town, living with Yang Liu'an and Xiao Fengyue. The found family is happy there, but with Yan Heqing leading the Southern Yan kingdom into war against Eastern Wu, the fight inevitably reaches even their quaint village, and Xiao Yu'an soon finds himself thrown together with Yan Heqing again. As the pair work to reconcile their misunderstandings, the raging conflict threatens to tear them apart for good.

(Note: I felt the need to preface this review by saying that this book isn't quite as good as "Everyone Loves the Cannon Fodder Vol. 1," which I read immediately prior. However, it seemed unfair to give this book three stars when I really liked it, so I'll say this book is a straight four stars, while "Everyone Loves the Cannon Fodder Vol. 1" is more of a 4.25 stars.)

Having tempered my expectations for this series after the first volume, I was able to enjoy this second installment much more (although I did have to look up summaries and character info because I forgot a lot of what happened). Sadly, none of the characters who died in the first book magically came back, but I knew it was a long shot. The novel has a surprisingly more serious tone and a greater emotional depth than book one, so the moments of humor were much appreciated to help offset the solemness. The war also helped the plot keep a fairly quick pace, which I appreciated, especially in the first half of the book; misunderstandings abound for the first 120 pages or so, all due to lack of communication (a trope I HATE), so be warned. That being said, the second half of the book more than made up for that frustration. While I thought Xiao Yu'an's "budding" romantic feelings for Yan Heqing were more of an emotional about-face, the fluff (and little bits of spice sprinkled in) put me in a forgiving mood, because these two were adorable together. They also underwent some pretty harrowing experiences, which heightened the sweetness for me. In keeping with the first book, this second volume isn't a masterpiece, but it greatly improved and ended up being a highly enjoyable danmei read. I look forward to the final installment in this transmigration trilogy!

[Riverine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead. Tw: su1c1d3


This was still a very good story. The ending was good. I just. MORE COMMUNICATION. MORE TALKING PLLLSSSSS. You watched your lover kill themselves. Please talk about it more. Worship him more. Augh. So many things happened man. And like the story was overall good. I’m just so upset at the lack of. Meaningful communication. The main character killer themselves because of guilt they felt towards their subjects and failing them. Can we explore that? Can we talk about that. Can we go deeper into that? So we can see sad. So we can see peak. I love stories that go deep into deeper topics and really talk about. Why this character felt so desperate they wanted to kill themselves. The mc watched two people basically kill themselves. Can we talk about the mental impact that would have on someone. Also. Chengui had the saddest story ever and he dies in like two panels. He’s my favorite character and I feel dissatisfied with both his ending and screen time. He saw his husband (allegedly) in the afterlife but he also told the mc it wasn’t his fault. When he just chewed him out for loving his enemy not 3 seconds early. Everything happens so quickly in each chapter and then we get a long time skip. The story takes place over 6 years or something and half of those years are not even shown. We have *big major event* *time skip* *small build up* *big major event* *time skip* over and over and over and it gets very repetitive. Also the main character kills themselves like 4 times in the last 20 chapters. It gets kinda boring. And I love a good groveling love interest whose love just died but. Holy shit. *i died* *he gets angry and ruins things* *im actually alive* *hes happy and kisses me* *i die* over and over with no like. Talking, groveling, anything in between. Heqing never really. Understands or acknowledges how hard it is for the mc to be the emperor but not from this world. He failed people by not being the original emperor. For wanting peace and loving heqing. This whole story has the most insane nationalism I have ever seen (the characters not the. Message of the story). And I can’t help but feel bad that the mc never processes anything. I feel the novel has more but it all feels so rushed and then parts are so dragged out. And then we get a 3 year time skip. It’s insane. Idk I loved this story, it left me wanting more. Happy yaoi day (yesterday). I will now read the special episodes. OH ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW a). THE FLUTE BROKE AND HE NEVER GOT A NEW ONE b). HEQINGS UNCLE IS NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN??? c). MC GOT BURIED IN THEIR WEDDING CLOTHES?!?$? 😭

TLDR: good but parts I felt were important were rushed and parts I didn’t feel needed as much attention was the center of the story.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book it really flows easily and was over before I knew it. both the ml and MC are really likable and the angst not too bad. excited for the next volume.

[Shrivrae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good and funny volume, but I wish Xiao Yu'an would stop it with the "domineering CEO" and Marxism crap already, it's tiring and starting to be annoying...

Well, now we wait for the third and final volume!

[Sofiu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yo no terminé con el libro, el termino conmigo 😭🥹

[Kosztadinovszki Vanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume is more slow-paced than the previous one. There're some truly hilarious scenes and some devastatingly sad as well. The misunderstanding between the main characters might drive one crazy but they're necessary for the plot.

Although this volume occurs during a war between countries, battle scenes are scarce and described vaguely, so I didn't feel the whole war atmosphere. This is especially true after the Northern Kingdom is defeated and the Southern Kingdom is at war with the Eastern Wu Kingdom. The MC is laying low as a physician, treating the wounded soldiers irrespective of their country of origin.

There're some really funny scenes, like when the MC gets drunk with Li Wuding. The fate of Li Wuding and his soldiers was truly devastating, it was one of the most emotional parts of the novel. The scene where Xiao Yu'An and Yan Heqing part ways after the Northern Kingdom lost the battle and surrendered was heartbreaking. There're many misunderstandings between them and it will take a lot of time until they can finally be together.

The emotional scenes are very well-written, and the humour is also on point. The characters are a bit one-dimensional but this is a simple, light-hearted story, so you shouldn't expect anything complex when reading it.

The marriage of the two princesses was also included in the novel. The scene itself wasn't that memorable except for the appearance of that mysterious person, who looks like the MC.

Xiao Yu'An's reunion with Yan Heqing was sweet. Although I've no idea how he didn't realize that Yan Heqing already recognized him that's why he behaved the way he did. Still, it was heartwarming and sweet, especially after they finally talked things through. The new side characters are funny as hell, especially how they all see through the main characters and realize they love each other way before even Xiao Yu'An himself realizes it. And they use their matchmaking skills to bring the two together. XD At one point General Chen even does it while Xiao Yu'An is treating his injuries after a battle. XD It's like one hilarious scene after another. But the thing is that in this novel, many funny scenes are usually followed by a tragedy. And sure enough, Xiao Yu'An's real identity is exposed and he can only escape with the help of General Chen.

It was an interesting read and all the comedy gold scenes balance the tragic scenes quite well. The characters' emotions are portrayed very well even if the story itself is quite predictable.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am loving this series. The depth of stories in the Danmei genre is astounding. There really are so few that I don't just love.

The story picks up right where the last one left off. Xiao Yu'An has feld his empire and he's now a deposed emperor. Yan Heqing followed up out of the city. There is a huge misunderstanding between the two now. It's so much that Xiao returns the hairpin and Yan destroyed it. So sad. Xiao couldn't believe it.

Xiao Yu'An wants a quiet and peaceful life, so he goes to a town away from all those in the fight against Southern Yan. Xiao finds a shifu and he becomes a herbalist and medical practitioner. His sister is married and he goes to the wedding.

Then he is looking for herbs and find Yan Heqing in the woods very hurt and blind. So, he takes care of him in a cabin in the woods all to themselves. I love that trope. It's very romantic. Xiao is so very funny. I love the things he does.

Xiao gets pulled into a war, being a physician and doctor for the Southern Yan army in place of his shifu. Holy cow. I did not expect any of that stuff to happen. Holy cow. There is plenty of pain and suffering in this story. It's truly a Chinese story. They love their suffering.

The story ends with reconciliation and we are set up for the last volume. I can't wait. I simply loved this story. It has moved up higher for me among stories. So well told and I like that it's only 3 books. I'm ready to finish it. I hope Rosmei won't make us wait too long. It takes so long to get them as it is.

[abee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like a lot of the themes from the first novel were just dropped and it’s been disappointing!! Especially since I adored the first novel so so much! I do love the romance I just wish there was more development of characters we know than adding in ones we don’t- and I miss the palace politics. The war stuff feels shoe horned in too. Though I am being nitpicky as I enjoyed the 1st one so much!

[Elmax · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning is pretty intense and the insensity dies down but the comedic aspect remain. And then cosy slice of life romance which bored me af. And then the return of intensity, before a beautiful but bittersweet (sweeter than bitter) ending which makes you wonder what the 3rd volume could be comprised of..

[molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg I love this story so much. need volume 3 STAT

[Miya · Rating 5 out of 5]

the only thing i hated is finishing this book :( i miss them already 🥺

[AKY · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐ These books are such a blast. I don't think anything with come close to my love of the comic, but the novel version is still very fun. It's nice to get a peek into Heqing's thoughts.

[Elenita · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. I like the story, it just drags a bit and some things are repetitive.

[lindsay (libraryoflinz) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

things get bleak. like very bleak. scheming and machinations and the resulting angsty fallout. but the way these characters come back together???? my goodness!!!! had me blushing and kicking my feet. and then we’re back into the angst cycle because there’s an ongoing war.

[... · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story slows down a bit in this volume compared to the first one, but it's still highly enjoyable. Loving how smooth the translation continues to be, it's really a pleasure to read. Can't wait for the final book <3.

[Wren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like this book just fine, but I could only give it three stars because, compared to the first volume, it dragged terribly. I like where we all end up and everything that we explore - the visit to the Shu Kingdom for the wedding was delightful and I love the dynamic of just several traumatized gay men and their self-assigned mother figure as a household, it's kinda cozy - but character moments are repeatedly skipped in favor of misunderstanding tropes.
It's a problem the entire romance genre has, of course, but there's a point where even romance-focused readers who like a little mutual pining have to have an urge to slap a character upside the head and beg them to just say what they mean explicitly. I loved it when they finally resolved things - Xiao Yuan's famous dish rag brain struggling to catch up and process his own denial turned shock turned excitement was ADORABLE - but oh my god. oh my good lord. I'm not joking, every thirty pages of this book is a moment when Yan Heqing's attempts to express his feelings get taken out by absurd coincidence like it's Final Destination for love confessions. Edging is fun but there's a limit.
Still worth reading and fun as a part of the larger series, however. I'm excited for the conclusion next volume - especially now that the miscommunication trope has hopefully been put out of its misery