Chapter 9 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

A year? Everyone was dumbfounded. No wonder he recovered so quickly from his injuries! Even if his lifespan was shortened by tens of times, could his injuries still heal so rapidly? With Chu Xiaoxiao's assistance in implementing the strategy to reduce Du Yinyun's favorability towards Chu Fan, He Yunxiao was originally quite cheerful. But now, he couldn't muster up any joy at all. The crux of the problem was that once, there was a genuine antidote right in front of me, but I didn't cherish it. It was only when I lost it that I deeply regretted it. There is nothing more painful in this world than this. If heaven were to give me another chance, I would not hesitate to take the antidote and then decisively bite Chu Xiaoxiao to death. He Yunxiao regretted it fiercely for a moment, then got up as if nothing happened. His mental toughness was unparalleled. On the bright side, setting aside whether or not I can find the antidote again, I also have Older sister Jiang's reward of "enhanced poison resistance", at least I can live a little longer than an ordinary person. On the downside, at the very least, I can live for another year. There's a saying: You laugh at Cheng Ge for dying early, Cheng Ge laughs at you for playing too little. Anyway, there's still a year, let's have fun for ten months. Brushing off the dust from his clothes, He Yunxiao didn't waste any time and walked around the block to buy a candied fruit stick. Luckily, the vendor recognized He Yunxiao and politely gave him all the candied fruits for free. This left He Yunxiao feeling extremely embarrassed. As a young nobleman, a well-known figure in the entire Yin Capital, not having to spend money on shopping was... simply too delightful! Unfortunately, the luxurious treatment of a time traveler hadn't corrupted He Yunxiao's upright principles. He still insisted on paying, primarily because the amount wasn't much. If it were a substantial sum, then his principles would have to become more flexible. However, the earnest payment by He Yunxiao made the uncle selling the candied fruits burst into tears. The uncle confessed that he used to be a soldier under General He, and due to injuries, he had to resort to small business. He had heard about the notorious behavior of the general's son, never expected that after meeting him, he not only appeared dignified but also willingly paid for the purchase, which was deeply heartening, bringing him to tears. He Yunxiao's corner of the mouth twitched as he thought about the image he once held in people's minds. But for him now, having a bad reputation turned out to be a beneficial weapon. Firstly, the expectations for someone with a bad reputation were low. The female leads always assumed the worst about him, so as long as he did something slightly decent, it would greatly improve their impression of him. Additionally, kindness coming from someone with a bad reputation would have a more significant impact than if it came from someone with a good one. Rationally speaking, having a bad reputation was more advantageous than disadvantageous for He Yunxiao at the moment. Even scarier was that when the female leads' regard for him and Chu Fan was about the same, all He Yunxiao needed to do was provoke the protagonist using his bad reputation, prompting Chu Fan to confront him in front of the female lead and create an atmosphere of "bullying the weak" with the protagonist. That way, it would be effortless to lower Chu Fan's favorability in the female lead's eyes. The antagonist role was incredible! Carrying a stick of candied fruits, He Yunxiao suddenly noticed that something was off in the atmosphere at the Spring Breeze Building. The originally arrogant and overbearing dandies were now all timid, and the lively atmosphere had receded. Only scattered cheers from the earlier competitions could be heard. More strangely, Chu Fan was surrounded by a group of people, and a strong man stood like a gatekeeper at the entrance to the second-floor combat platform. He could understand the former, as it was basic for the protagonist to receive attention. He was more familiar with the latter. The man was Ya Hu, a guest at the Spring Breeze Building, a so-called bodyguard, with a martial arts level of eighth rank, and he was paid handsomely to oversee the place. Normally, Ya Hu wouldn't show his face, and few people knew of his existence. After all, what would a man be doing hanging around a brothel all year round? With Ya Hu's eighth rank martial arts abilities, he was more than enough to handle ordinary situations. If it were a major issue, there were always martial sects that took protection fees. Beyond their capabilities, they would report to the authorities. Brothels wouldn't easily involve the authorities since it would greatly affect their business. He Yunxiao swaggered past Ya Hu and ascended to the second floor, distributing the candied fruits to the ladies and suddenly realized that Du Yinyun's favorability towards Chu Fan had changed from 70 when he left to 75. 【Du Yinyun's favorability towards Chu Fan is 75】 After giving candied fruits to the madam and a few other top courtesans, He Yunxiao plopped down beside Jiang Wuyou. Holding a handful of them, he offered, "Sister, do you want one or all of them?" He planned to casually inquire about what happened while he was away. Jiang Wuyou didn't have the mood to banter with him and said with a worried expression, "Yunxiao, tell me, during the 'banquet' earlier, did you have any interaction with that lady?" He Yunxiao looked bewildered. "Which one?" Jiang Wuyou fumed, "Which one? How many did you flirt with, you brat?" "Except for you, I have no interest in any other woman!" Jiang Wuyou laughed in exasperation, "You still have the time to joke around at this critical moment? Chu Xiaoxiao. Did you say something disrespectful to her?" He Yunxiao thought, What does it have to do with He Yunxiao? But there was no room for that argument, so he nodded. "What did you do after you left? Do you know what Chu Fan did?" "What did he do?" "He cut Liu Kaixiong's long sword in half with one stroke. Ya Hu said this requires at least ninth-rank abilities. He's only twenty years old and already has such strength. It's almost certain that he will become a grandmaster in the future." He Yunxiao was not surprised. After all, Chu Fan was the protagonist of a novel. Wasn't it reasonable for the protagonist of a novel to have some talent? Let alone a grandmaster, wouldn't Chu Xiaoxiao, even as the best in the world, suffer? Not only did she not die, but she was also bitten back. In this light, wasn't Chu Fan just ordinary? Did he dare to bite Chu Xiaoxiao? He didn't dare, but I dare! "A warrior of grandmaster level, even the emperor should give way." Jiang Wuyou fretted, "Yunxiao, although you're the son of the Marquis, it's extremely unwise to offend a potentially grandmaster-level warrior." "After the courtesan selection is over today, I will invite the siblings from the Chu family for a private banquet. You must attend without fail!" He Yunxiao knew that Jiang Wuyou was planning to resolve the enmity between himself and Chu Fan. He was deeply moved by this and couldn't help but squeeze her tender hand. Jiang Wuyou didn't have the time to pay attention to He Yunxiao's fidgeting and continued to admonish, "If you can't let go of your pride, just listen to me." "Sister, we have no relations, but you care for me so much. Are you aiming to be the wife of the Marquis's mansion?" Jiang Wuyou was both shy and annoyed, grinding her teeth. "You're still talking nonsense even at this stage! Look at the top scholar Yang Qi down there, the Marquis's son Shen Kuan, and the Prince Qi's guest Yan Cong..." Hearing Jiang Wuyou's words, He Yunxiao glanced down and saw several familiar faces mingling with Chu Fan. He hadn't noticed them when he entered the building earlier. He didn't know most of the people surrounding Chu Fan. They weren't part of his circle. He Yunxiao was someone whose reputation could only match well with the dandies of the Yin Capital, and most ordinary outstanding young talents would be ashamed to associate with him. They would not meet without hurling a couple of curses. Even though he did know Yang Qi. In the original novel, he was the one who praised Chu Fan and gained the attention of the princess Meng Qingqian for him, leading her to personally intervene to protect Chu Fan. He previously had a good impression of Yang Qi when he read the novel, but now, why did he seem so despicable? "All those young nobles go and flatter Chu Fan, but you choose to antagonize him, and not just antagonize but you seem to not care at all." Jiang Wuyou used a slightly chastising tone. He Yunxiao had his own reasoning. "If Chu Fan can be swayed by their flattery, then he's not that great after all. If he's steadfast, even if I try to flatter him, what use would it be?" This had a hint of "non-action". Not only Jiang Wuyou expressed some surprise at this, Du Yinyun also glanced at him. 【Du Yinyun's favorability increased from 65 to 66】 He Yunxiao continued, "Sister, don't believe it? I will go and apologize to Chu Fan right now. Let's see if he's a true gentleman or a mere scoundrel." Jiang Wuyou was filled with question marks. Would this arrogant He Yunxiao really go and apologize? And aren't "true gentleman" and "mere scoundrel" almost the same thing? Seeing He Yunxiao gearing up to apologize to Chu Fan, Du Yinyun's impression of him instantly improved. Apologizing in a place like Great Qi was quite weighty because it required setting aside one's pride and lowering one's posture, which was particularly hard to accept in a country that valued respect and etiquette. "Whoa, Lord He." For the first time, Du Huakui took the initiative to speak to He Yunxiao. "I wonder how Lord He plans to apologize? If Yinyun can help in any way, please feel free to ask." He Yunxiao cheerfully said, "I did offend Miss Chu Xiaoxiao earlier. It was indeed abrupt. However, between fighters like him and me, we don't need the trouble of empty courtesy. I'll give him three moves in a sparring match as a way of making amends!" He Yunxiao was a remarkable martial artist, rumored to have reached the seventh-rank. This was something that the folks at the Spring Breeze knew of. A seventh-rank warrior challenging a ninth-rank warrior to a three-move sparring match seemed a bit outlandish. However, He Yunxiao's unparalleled charisma and his bold words made it surprisingly believable! 【Du Yinyun's favorability increased from 68 to 75】 However, none of the onlookers who were amazed knew what He Yunxiao was thinking at that moment. He Yunxiao thought: "Chu Fan, if you don't kill me today, you won't leave here alive!"