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

Chapter 9: Don't Let Me Die, Stay Here

One year?

Hearing Chu Xiaoxiao words, He Yunxiao was dumbfounded.

No wonder his injuries healed so quickly!

Could injuries that drastically shortened one's lifespan really heal so quickly?

With Chu Xiaoxiao's cooperation to implement the strategy of decreasing Du Yinyin's affection for Chu Fan, He Yunxiao was initially quite pleased. However, he couldn't feel any happiness now.

The most critical issue was that there was once a genuine antidote right in front of him, but he didn't cherish it. He only regretted it when he lost it, and the most painful thing in the world was regret. If heaven could give him another chance, he would without hesitation swallow the antidote and then bite Chu Xiaoxiao to death.

He Yunxiao regretted deeply for a moment and then stood up as if nothing had happened.

His mental resilience was invincible.

On the bright side, let's not even discuss whether he can find the antidote again; he also has Sister Jiang's reward for "toxin resistance enhancement." At least he can live longer than an ordinary person.

On the dark side, he could at least live for another year.

As the saying goes: "You laughed, Brother Cheng, died early; Brother Cheng laughed, you played less."

In any case, there's still one year left; he could play around for ten more months.

He Yunxiao didn't waste any time after dusting off his clothes. He went around a couple of streets and bought a string of candied haw berries.

Fortunately, the candied haw seller recognized He Yunxiao and kindly gave him the entire string of candied haws.

This made He Yunxiao feel quite embarrassed.

As the son of a marquis, a well-known figure in the entire Yin Capital, it was truly... amazing to buy something without spending money!

Unfortunately, the luxurious treatment of a transmigrator hadn't corroded He Yunxiao's proper values; he still insisted on paying, primarily because it wasn't much.

If the amount was substantial, his values would have to become more flexible.

As a result, the conscientious payment by He Yunxiao made the candied haw seller weep.

The seller straightforwardly admitted that he was a soldier under General He, who took up small trades after being discharged due to injury. He had heard that the general's son was mischievous and unruly, but he hadn't expected that upon seeing him today, not only did he have an imposing appearance, but he also actually paid for something. This was very heartening, and he ended up shedding tears.

He Yunxiao watched with twitching lips, wondering how he was perceived by others before.

However, for his present self, having a bad image was actually a useful weapon.

Firstly, the expectations for someone with a bad image were very low. The heroines would assume he was lacking in various aspects. As long as he acted even slightly better, it would greatly change their impression of him. Furthermore, doing good deeds with a bad image had a greater impact than doing them with a good image.

So, rationally analyzing it, for He Yunxiao now, a bad reputation was more advantageous than disadvantageous.

What was even scarier was that when the heroines' affection for him and Chu Fan was roughly the same, he only needed to provoke the protagonist using his bad image. This would lead Chu Fan to engage in a physical altercation with him, creating an atmosphere of the protagonist "bullying the weak" in front of the heroine.

In this way, lowering Chu Fan's affection in the heroine's heart would be incredibly easy.

Villain roles were truly fantastic!

Carrying a string of candied haw berries, He Yunxiao returned to Spring Breeze Tower. He suddenly realized that something was off with the atmosphere in the tower.

The originally arrogant and arrogant young masters were all trembling with fear, and the lively atmosphere inside the building had receded. Only sporadic cheers from the martial arena remained.

Even more strangely, there was a group of people gathered around Chu Fan, who was usually quite reserved. Additionally, a burly man stood at the entrance to the martial arena on the second floor like a doorman.

He Yunxiao understood the former phenomenon; after all, the protagonist would naturally attract attention.

He was even more familiar with the latter. This person was called Ya Hu, a retainer of Spring Breeze Tower, a bodyguard, as they say. He had the cultivation level of the eighth rank and received a decent salary to manage the scene at Spring Breeze Tower.

Normally, Ya Hu wouldn't appear; few knew of his existence. After all, what was the significance of a man spending his time in a brothel?

With Ya Hu's eighth-rank martial arts cultivation, he could handle most people. If the situation was significant, there were martial arts factions on the rivers and lakes that specialized in protecting fees. If those factions couldn't resolve it, the matter would be reported to the authorities. Brothels usually wouldn't easily involve the authorities, as government intervention would significantly affect their business.

Making his way past Ya Hu confidently, He Yunxiao carried the candied haw berries and ascended to the second-floor martial arena. He distributed the berries to the various young ladies and then suddenly realized that Du Yinyin's affection for Chu Fan had increased from 70 when he left to 75 now.

【Du Yinyin's affection for Chu Fan is 75】

After giving candied haw berries to Du Huakui and a few red card girls, He Yunxiao sat down beside Jiang Wuyou.

Holding a handful of candies, He Yunxiao asked for credit, "Sister, do you want one, or do you want them all?"

He intended to inquire casually about what had happened while he was away.

He Yunxiao didn't have time to joke with her. Jiang Wuyou had a worried expression as she said, "Yunxiao, tell me, during the 'banquet' earlier, did you touch that girl?"

He Yunxiao looked bewildered. "Which girl?"

Jiang Wuyou exclaimed, "Which girl? You little rascal, how many have you messed with?"

"Other than you, I don't even glance at the others!"

Jiang Wuyou was exasperated and amused, "At this critical moment, you still have time to talk back? Chu Xiaoxiao. Did you say something disrespectful to her?"

What He Yunxiao did is none of my business!

However, there was nowhere to say this logic, so he could only nod.

"Since you left, do you know what Chu Fan did?"

"What did he do?"

"With a single sword strike, he split Liu Kaixiong's long sword right down the middle. Ya Hu said that this requires at least the cultivation level of the ninth rank. At the age of twenty, having such strength is almost a sure sign that he will achieve the realm of a grandmaster in the future."

He Yunxiao was not surprised at all. After all, Chu Fan was the protagonist of the novel. Wasn't a bit of talent reasonable for the protagonist?

Let alone reaching the realm of a grandmaster, even Chu Xiaoxiao, who was the best in the world, didn't manage to kill me differently, did she?

Not only did she not kill me, but I even bit her back.

In that case, Chu Fan was just so-so.

Would he dare to bite Chu Xiaoxiao?

He didn't dare, but I dared!

"A martial artist at the level of a grandmaster should be respected even by the emperor." Jiang Wuyou worriedly cautioned, "Yunxiao, even though you're the Marquis Wielding Martial Excellence's son, offending someone with the potential to become a grandmaster is extremely unwise."

"After the Flower Blossom Selection ends today, I will host a private banquet for the Chu siblings. You must attend and don't make excuses!"

He Yunxiao knew that Sister Jiang was trying to resolve the conflict between him and Chu Fan. He felt touched and couldn't help but rub the soft palm of her hand.

Jiang Wuyou didn't have the mood to pay attention to He Yunxiao's little actions and continued to advise, "If you can't put aside your pride, just listen to Sister."

"Sister Jiang, we're neither family nor acquaintances. Why do you care about me so much? Do you want to become the Marquis' son 's wife?"

Jiang Wuyou blushed and was annoyed, gritting her teeth.

"At this critical moment, you're still speaking nonsense! Look at Yang Qi, the top scholar, Yin Capital's Marquis Yin's son Shen Kuan, and Qi Wang's retainer Yan Cong..."

Listening to Sister Jiang's words, He Yunxiao followed her gaze downwards and indeed saw a few familiar faces mingling with Chu Fan. He hadn't noticed them when he first entered the building.

Most of the people surrounding Chu Fan were unfamiliar to He Yunxiao.

They weren't from the same circle.

He Yunxiao's reputation could only allow him to mix with the dandies in the Yin Capital's circle. Normal young talents, all of them wouldn't deign to associate themselves with He Yunxiao.

Without exchanging a few insults upon meeting, it wouldn't be considered refined and agreeable.

Of course, He Yunxiao knew Yang Qi.

In the original novel, he was beheaded by Chu Fan with a single slash, and then,his father was furious and wanted to kill Chu Fan. This imperial censor, Yang Qi, created momentum for Chu Fan by running his mouth, publicizing how Chu Fan was ridding the people of harm. This caused the Crown Princess, Meng Qingqian, to personally intervene to protect the protagonist, Chu Fan.

When he read the novel before, his impression of Yang Qi was pretty good. Why did he seem so despicable now?

"Those young masters are all trying to flatter Chu Fan, but you are on bad terms with him. Not only on bad terms, but also seemingly indifferent."

Jiang Wuyou said in a slightly reproachful tone.

He Yunxiao had his own set of principles.

"If Chu Fan can be swayed by their sweet words, then it shows that Chu Fan is nothing special. If Chu Fan is resolute in his convictions, even if I were to try to flatter him, what would be the use?"

He Yunxiao's words carried a hint of an "unassertive" meaning.

Not only Jiang Wuyou was slightly surprised, even Du Yinyin cast a sidelong glance.

【Du Yinyin's Favorability has changed from 65 to 66】

He Yunxiao continued, "Sister, don't believe me? Then I will apologize to Chu Fan now and see if he's a fake gentleman or a true villain."

Jiang Wuyou's face was filled with question marks.

Would that arrogant and self-assured He Yunxiao actually apologize? And aren't "fake gentleman" and "true villain" quite similar in meaning?

Seeing He Yunxiao about to apologize to Chu Fan, Du Yinyin's impression of He Yunxiao improved considerably.

In a place like Great Qi Kingdom where respect and etiquette were highly valued, "apologizing" was a weighty concept.

Because apologizing meant setting aside one's pride and assuming a humble stance, something particularly hard to accept in a country that valued appearances like Qi.

Unexpectedly, He Yunxiao, the young master, not only willingly admitted his mistake but also displayed such courage!

【Du Yinyin's Favorability has changed from 66 to 68】

"He Yunxiao."

For the first time, Du Huakui took the initiative to speak to He Yunxiao.

"I wonder how the young master plans to apologize? If there's anything Yinyin can assist with, please feel free to ask."

He Yunxiao said cheerfully, "I did indeed offend Miss Chu Xiaoxiao earlier, and it was rather abrupt. However, between warriors like Chu Fan and me, we don't need burdensome formalities. I will spar with him and give him three moves as a form of apology!"

He Yunxiao's martial arts prowess was remarkable; rumors said he had already reached the seventh rank, a fact known to the members of the Spring Breeze Tower.

A seventh-ranked warrior challenging a ninth-ranked warrior to three moves?

That was a bit beyond the pale!

Yet, He Yunxiao's unparalleled charisma and his impassioned words made his proposal remarkably convincing!

【Du Yinyin's Favorability has changed from 68 to 75】

However, the onlookers who were stunned by this had no idea what He Yunxiao was truly thinking at this moment.

He Yunxiao: Chu Fan, if you don't defeat me today, you won't leave here alive!