What to Do When You're the Villain and the Female Lead Likes You (Patreon)

Chapter 4: The Awakening of an Antagonist

No green plant can reject sunlight, just as no one can reject He Yunxiao's cheerful smile.

The previous He Yunxiao was nothing more than a scheming person, but now he had transformed into a fine young man with righteous values, raised under the red banner and nurtured by the spring breeze. His moral character had become more upright than his physical features.

Such a transformation was terrifying, coming from within.

Although the present He Yunxiao was trying his best to imitate some habits of his predecessor, his thoughts and inner demeanor were unattainable to imitate.

This resulted in his current smile having an extremely positive impact.

As long as someone didn't know him well, they would all believe that He Yunxiao was a sunlit young man who loved his country and was loyal to the emperor.

However, unfortunately, the entire city of Yinjing had heard of the misdeeds He Yunxiao had committed.

This wasn't because He Yunxiao was extremely wicked, but rather because he was easily recognizable. No matter what he did, news about him would spread throughout the city. Even many young ladies, who criticized him for his lack of propriety and arrogance during the day, secretly bought some adult sketches of him and read them at night to help them relieve themself (Tn: They bought porn about him to masturbate).

He truly was the top celebrity of Great Qi Kingdom.

Du Yinyin watched He Yunxiao's smile and momentarily froze, but quickly snapped out of it. She averted her gaze, pretending to watch the martial competition on the lower arena, showing an appearance of complete disinterest.

On the other hand, Jiang Wuyou cast a glare at He Yunxiao, scolding, "This is the observation platform for watching the martial arts. What trick are you playing now? Is your reputation not big enough already?"

Although her words carried a scolding tone, He Yunxiao felt a warmth inside.

Indeed, Jiang Wuyou was someone with an 80 good impression score! She understood that I tend to be unconventional in my actions, and she advised me to be more well-behaved and mindful of my reputation.

I know I'm wrong, but I won't change.

Compared to damaging my reputation, it's clear that the brush in Chu Xaodao's hands is more terrifying!

And it can take out two lives with one stroke, both Du Yinyin and I can't escape.

Choosing the lesser of two evils, I apologize to Du Yinyin in my heart. It's not like the people in the city deliberately want to manipulate you.

He Yunxiao didn't directly respond to Jiang Wuyou's scolding. Instead, he pretended to struggle with holding the table, imploring, "Sister Jiang, please choose one quickly, I can't hold it for much longer."

Even for a martial practitioner, lifting an entire table of food with one hand wasn't an easy task.

Seeing He Yunxiao struggling, Jiang Wuyou's tone softened a bit and she compromised, "Put the food down. Get off."

He Yunxiao deftly placed the table aside, then grabbed a chair and sat down beside Jiang Wuyou.

Privately, Jiang Wuyou was planning to give He Yunxiao some silver, but in public, she still cared about maintaining her good reputation. It wouldn't be a good thing to be seen associating too closely with the "renowned in Great Qi Kingdom" He Yunxiao in a public setting.

Moreover, Jiang Wuyou was a top-tier dancer with extraordinary skills, considered among the industry's elite. She had not only registered her name with the Ministry of Rites, but had also performed as the finale at the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration last year, making a name for herself throughout Yinjing.

Seeing He Yunxiao sitting beside her, Jiang Wuyou pretended to push him away and said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "I told you to put the food down. Why did you sit down?"

He Yunxiao feigned surprise, exclaiming, "Huh? Aren't I just your dish, Sister?"

"Splurt."

One of the red-robed young ladies nearby directly sprayed the tea in her mouth. Others on the observation platform couldn't help but let out some chuckle.

While Jiang Wuyou pretended to be displeased, the upturn of her lips couldn't hide her true joy. She lightly tapped He Yunxiao and playfully scolded, "You little rascal."

He Yunxiao responded with a cheeky smile, serving Jiang Wuyou food and pouring her wine.

Such down-to-earth lovey-dovey words weren't for everyone to enjoy.

He Yunxiao dared to say that purely because he relied on his extraordinarily handsome face and his current good impression score of 83.

The words of the two on the left fell precisely into Du Yinyin's ears.

She lifted the teacup on the table and took a sip, feeling an unusually bitter taste in the tea.

On the stage, Chu Xuan had already determined the winner against his opponent.

As the gong-bearing maid announced "The match is over," the five beautiful young ladies on the observation platform began to score the participants.

During the previous moments, everyone's attention had been focused on He Yunxiao, so they hadn't noticed any action on the martial arts stage. However, this didn't pose a problem since everyone knew the result was that Chu Xuan won while the other person lost.

All they needed to do was give Chu Xuan a higher score and the other person a lower score.

After all, this was only the first round of the competition. Winning this round wouldn't affect the final score. When there were only about a dozen participants left competing for the top ten spots to advance to the next round, that would be the most intense phase.

Jiang Wuyou casually wrote down "6" and "4". Since the match was scored out of ten, giving Chu Xuan six points and the other person four points was the natural distribution.

He Yunxiao said, "Sister Jiang, your scoring isn't accurate."

Jiang Wuyou curiously asked, "Why isn't it accurate?"

"During the match just now, although these two fought fiercely, upon closer examination, Chu Xuan was using righteous sword techniques and holding back in every move. However, his opponent wasn't doing the same. Every move was a fierce attack aimed at vital areas. Moreover, after the match, Chu Xuan's clothes are neat, his breath stable, and he has plenty of energy left. On the other hand, his opponent is panting for breath."

Jiang Wuyou's eyes brightened, and upon closer thought, it did seem to be the case.

She was just surprised at how well He Yunxiao understood the situation. Not only was he not causing trouble, he was impartially stating the facts.

"Then how about '7-3'?"

"At most '9-1’," He Yunxiao said. "But '9-1' doesn't sound very auspicious. Martial artists still need face. How about '8-2', Sister?"

"Why isn't '9-1' auspicious?" Jiang Wuyou asked, puzzled.

As a courtesan and a performer who often danced in the palace, she was particularly sensitive to matters related to "auspiciousness."

He Yunxiao tugged at the corner of his mouth, unsure how to explain.

He ended up making up a story, not knowing how else to handle it.

Fortunately, Jiang Wuyou had a lot of trust in him, so she didn't inquire further, ending the matter there.

The observation platform wasn't very large, and the five young ladies were sitting close together. He Yunxiao's voice was never low, making his words clearly audible. Thus, five identical scoring signs were handed to the girl holding the gong to read out.

Du Yinyin's mood was quite complex.

She never would have expected that while she was inattentive to the competition, He Yunxiao had actually been paying attention.

Furthermore, not only had he been attentive, but he had spoken fairly and reasonably while giving his scores.

This was completely different from the rumors about him and his behavior just now.

The He Yunxiao from earlier was a troublemaker who lacked reasoning, sticking to Jiang Wuyou like a flippant playboy. However, the one evaluating the martial arts now made people feel as if he was a scholarly master. His words were backed by references and logic, making it impossible not to be convinced.

Jiang Wuyou seemed to have seen through Du Yinyin's thoughts, perhaps because she herself had doubts.

"Brother He, the young man on the stage, is he your friend?"

"I don't know him. Today is the first time I've seen him."

"If you don't know him, why are you talking to him so much?"

He Yunxiao grabbed Jiang Wuyou's delicate arm and exclaimed in protest, "Sister Jiang, I'm being wrongly accused! Chu Xuan used sword techniques in the match that my childhood master also taught me. Unfortunately, I was playful when I was young and didn't like to learn. My studies were often insufficient, and because of that, my master often received criticism from my father."

"The way Chu Xuan's use of this sword technique reminds me of my master. It's a pity that when I wanted to see my master again, he was already no longer in this world..."

Entertainment in Great Qi Kingdom was much scarcer than in modern times, and combined with He Yunxiao's sincere performance, despite the cheesy story, the emotions it conveyed had some effect on the young ladies present.

Especially Du Yinyin, who felt it deeply.

In her childhood, she often complained about her father being strict and coming home late, even disappearing for months at a time.

But when her father fell, and the entire Du family fell apart, she truly felt the pressure, the heartache, the bitterness, and the responsibilities her father had carried.

Great Qi Kingdom was founded on martial prowess, but three hundred years after its founding, martial strength waned while the emphasis shifted to culture. Added to this was the Chu Tianzhu incident, causing all the military officials in the court to be on guard against each other.

He Yunxiao's exaggerated crying and pleading brought Du Yinyin's thoughts back to reality.

She stole a glance at this son of a Wuyuanhou (a high-ranking military officer), and her heart was filled with complex emotions.

He Yunxiao, living in the household of military officials, it's not easy for you either, is it?

Indeed, it's not easy. Holding big sister Jiang hand while also keeping an eye on Du Meimei was truly quite challenging.

After all, this sister's hand is so soft!

【Du Yinyin's favorability has increased from 25 to 55】

What the hell?

An increase this big?

This little sister is still too young.

Just one move showcasing a shining point combined with shared empathy raises favorability by 30 points?

If I try a bit harder tonight, could I get it to 80 and earn the reward?

He Yunxiao suddenly felt a chill down his neck. He seemed to see Chu Xiaoxiao smiling at him with a firewood chopper in hand.

Stay calm, don't get distracted!

The top priority is to prevent this unlucky girl from looking at Chu Fan!

Otherwise, it could truly end up fatal!