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

Chapter 10: Li Jin Displays Strong Will

Now, let's talk about what happened earlier. After He Yunxiao helped Jiang Wuyou with a shoulder rub, Yang Qi managed to catch a handle on him. Utilizing his keen senses, Yang Qi promptly sent Qian Yuan to the residence of the Ministry of Rites' Secretary to invite Li Jin, the young master of the Li family.

Given that this involved the Prime Minister and the Eldest Princess, Qian Yuan didn't dare to delay and rushed back to the Li residence as fast as he could.

At this moment, Li Jin was busy studying in his study room.

On the left were famous works of Confucian scholars, on the right, various poems from different schools, and in the middle, the legal code of the Great Qi Kingdom.

He was also sneakily playing a game of Go beneath the books.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Young Master Li!"

Li Jin was startled and his hand shook, causing several Go pieces to fall. He didn't even bother setting them back in place. He quickly used a book to cover the board and then pretended to be composed, saying, "Who is it? I'm studying!"

"It's me, Qian Yuan!"

"Oh, it's Qian Yuan!"

Li Jin smiled and stood up, going to open the door for Qian Yuan.

"Hey, it's Brother Qian. I thought it might be my father."

If He Yunxiao heard this, he'd definitely tease Li Jin. But Qian Yuan, as a retainer, wouldn't even dare to think along those lines.

Li Jin led Qian Yuan into the room and proudly uncovered the books he had used to cover the board, revealing a game of Go.

"How about it? Care for a couple of games?"

Qian Yuan had no interest in playing Go at all.

Seeing that Qian Yuan wasn't interested in playing, Li Jin had no choice but to take his seat again and resume his contemplation.

"Young Master, He Yunxiao actually stooped to giving Jiang Wuyou a shoulder rub."

"Ah?" Li Jin was surprised again, then casually said, "That's just how He Yunxiao is. It's only strange if he doesn't give women shoulder rubs."

"Young Master, Yang Qi told me that there's unrest in the court recently. The Eldest Princess and Prime Minister Han are at odds. This is an opportunity!"

Li Jin looked puzzled, "Eldest Princess and Prime Minister Han? What opportunity?"

"An opportunity to suppress Prime Minister Han!"

"How would we suppress him?"

"He Yunxiao's father, He Yuanhao, is a prominent general in our court. If the Eldest Princess seizes the chance when He Yunxiao makes a mistake, she can use that as a pretext to weaken He Yuanhao's position in the military or disrupt his connection with Prime Minister Han. This would significantly reduce the Prime Minister's influence in the military."

Li Jin stroked his chin and decisively said, "You make it sound reasonable."

Capitalizing on his advantage, Qian Yuan continued to paint rosy pictures.

"Exposing He Yunxiao's weaknesses would be a great achievement! The actions of He Yunxiao back then were witnessed by everyone in the Spring Breeze Tower. Moreover, both Yang Qi and Yang Xiong, along with Shen Kuan and Shen Xiong, were all present. There's no shortage of witnesses. As long as Young Master goes to the Spring Breeze Tower to confront He Yunxiao, you'll be promoting proper conduct, suppressing evil influences, and significantly weakening the Prime Minister's power."

Li Jin slapped his thigh, "My Father and Aunt always complain that I'm foolish. Now that such a great achievement is right in front of me, if I don't seize it, I'd truly be a fool!"

"Let's do it!" Li Jin immediately urged, then pulled out a token and said, "Brother Qian, take this token and find General Yang of the Forbidden Army."

"General Yang?"

"Yang Zhe! He's the confidant of my Aunt. He's always looked down on me the most. You can go find him and have him come to the Spring Breeze Tower to witness Young Master's promotion of proper conduct!"

…

Naturally, Jiang Wuyou disagreed with He Yunxiao's plan to have a martial contest with Chu Fan.

A seventh-ranked challenging a ninth-ranked and giving the ninth-ranked three moves?

If Chu Fan took it seriously, he could defeat He Yunxiao in one move.

But how could He Yunxiao let kind-hearted Sister Jiang disrupt his grand plan? So he had to coax her, saying, "Sister, rest assured, I'm already at the eighth rank in terms of strength. I can spar with Chu Fan for a few moves without a problem."

However, Jiang Wuyou was still worried. She held onto He Yunxiao's sleeve and escorted him to the stairs leading down from the martial viewing platform.

Seeing Jiang Wuyou, who looked like a young wife, He Yunxiao felt quite helpless.

I certainly can't say that I've conspired with Chu Xiaoxiao, can I?

So he had to use various methods to persuade her, ultimately letting Jiang Wuyou off his hook.

"Sister, don't worry, I'll be back shortly."

Jiang Wuyou didn't use her usual commanding tone with He Yunxiao; she simply sighed and said, "If you can't win, just admit defeat. If you're being stubborn, I won't spare you."

As He Yunxiao walked downstairs, Jiang Wuyou's lips didn't move, but she transmitted her thoughts to the warrior Yahu standing beside the stairs, saying, "The son of He Yuanhao is extremely important to our Great Yan Kingdom. Even if you have to reveal your strength, you can't let anything happen to him."

Yahu looked at He Yunxiao with confusion, thinking: This playboy, I doubt even He Yuanhao himself would want him. How could he be of any use to our Great Yan Kingdom?

However, as an exceptional spy, he wouldn't question Shangguan's decision. Executing missions perfectly was his duty.

"Understood."

After He Yunxiao went downstairs, he walked straight to Chu Fan's table.

Originally, Chu Fan's location was quite secluded, but after he displayed his martial talent, a group of people gathered around him, each trying to strike up conversations and engage him in laughter.

Chu Fan was naturally not good at conversation. His personality was somewhat introverted and reserved, in contrast to He Yunxiao, who suffered from extreme sociability syndrome.

However, with Yang Qi and the others guiding the conversation, the atmosphere became harmonious and lively.

He Yunxiao noticed that Chu Xiaoxiao continued to maintain her adorable little sister image, sitting quietly beside Chu Fan, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

But only He Yunxiao noticed that her right hand was partially tucked into her sleeve, cleverly hiding the bite marks near her knuckles.

Seeing how obedient Chu Xiaoxiao looked now, He Yunxiao inwardly admired the author of "Girl, I Only Want to Cultivate" and thought, What an amazing author! A well-behaved girl in front of others and a scheming woman behind their backs. Could anyone come up with such a character? I wonder what the author has experienced for him to be able to make such character?

As He Yunxiao approached, the previously cheerful group of people stopped conversing.

Chu Fan stared at He Yunxiao, while Chu Xiaoxiao watched Chu Fan nervously. He Yunxiao casually swept his gaze over everyone present.

Drawing on the original host's memories, there weren't many people he could recognize.

The one with thin, arched eyebrows and a hooked nose was Yang Qi, a seventh-ranked Imperial Scholar. The one with eyes that looked like narrow slits in a round ball was Shen Kuan, the young master of the Yinfu Manor. The young man in white with a folding fan in his hand was Liu Feiyun, the young master of the Drunk Immortal Pavilion.

The one with a delicate appearance but muscular build, who looked somewhat refined and degenerate, was Tie Weiqi, the young leader of the Iron Eagle Gang. The last one He Yunxiao recognized was a thin man, who was a retainer of Prince Qi, Yan Cong.

These people were all young talents from Yinfu Manor, a circle far removed from He Yunxiao's status as a pampered son from Yinfu Manor.

Seeing He Yunxiao approach without any reservations, each person present had their thoughts.

They had come here to flatter the rising star of Great Qi Kingdom's martial arts, Chu Fan, so they naturally wanted to display their abilities before him.

Having a ninth-ranked martial cultivation, even if it were now, it wouldn't be too difficult to secure an official position, perhaps as a sixth-ranked instructor in the Forbidden Army.

Sixth-ranked instructor positions didn't usually require them to fawn over others, but Chu Fan was simply too young. At this age and with such talent, entering the realm of a Grandmaster was almost certain.

If he could reach the Grandmaster realm, that would be a different story altogether.

A Grandmaster could even become the leader of the armed guards, directly responsible for the safety of the palace.

Although the official rank was fourth, individuals like this were in the presence of the Emperor, the Eldest Princess, and the Empress Dowager, among others. Sometimes, just a couple of words could either send someone into the abyss or elevate them to the skies.

The power of a close adviser was precisely like this.

If one didn't choose an official position, with the strength of a Grandmaster, they could easily establish their own sect. Becoming friends today would also mean having a powerful ally in the martial world in the future.

Shen Kuan, the young master of Yinfu Manor, saw He Yunxiao approaching. He gritted his teeth, thinking to smooth things over for Chu Fan. He stood up and greeted the Marquis's son with a smile, "Brother He, during the banquet just now, you must have misunderstood Chu Fan's sister. How about this? Today, for the sake of my face, let's raise a toast to bury the hatchet. We'll forget this matter and never bring it up again."

He Yunxiao furrowed his brows. "Who are you?"

Shen Kuan knew well that He Yunxiao was arrogant and unreasonable. He had no choice but to continue explaining, "I am Shen Kuan, the son of Shen Kaiyun, an official serving as the Yinfu Manor Prefect."

He Yunxiao raised an eyebrow. "What rank is a Prefect?"

"Third rank."

"I'm not familiar with that. Step aside, I'm looking for Chu Fan."

Shen Kuan naturally didn't want to step aside. While he wouldn't dare to directly challenge He Yunxiao's arrogance under normal circumstances, for the sake of befriending Chu Fan, and with the support of Yang Qi and the others behind him, he decided to stand his ground.

"Brother He, you were disrespectful to Miss Chu earlier. You were in the wrong. Now that Brother Chu doesn't want to make an issue of it, don't persist stubbornly."

He Yunxiao burst into laughter.

"You acknowledge that I was wrong back then, so why didn't you stop me? Only now that Chu Fan has shown his martial talents and has a promising future ahead, you, Shen Kuan, want to stand up for Miss Chu?"

He Yunxiao paid no attention to Shen Kuan's face turning into a pig's liver color. He pushed him aside and approached Chu Fan.

Fearing that someone might not hear, he shouted loudly, "Chu Fan, listen up. I, He Yunxiao, came here this time to apologize to you, Chu Ch- Miss Chu!"

Oops, I almost slipped up. Fortunately, I'm quick-witted.

As soon as He Yunxiao spoke, everyone present was stunned. Even the two contestants on the sparring platform paused and turned to look at He Yunxiao's direction.

Everyone had the same question in their minds.

Why the hell does an apologizer be this arrogant?