Chapter 78 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

Classes at Lu Jiao Academy consisted of two lessons in the morning and two in the afternoon, with each lesson lasting an hour. Of course, not all the classes were strictly about literature and martial arts. Sometimes, in the morning or the afternoon, there would be only one literary class, and the remaining period could be used to attend elective courses. He Yunxiao had no plans to attend other classes. He was only preparing to attend Fan Ziruo's class. Today, Fan Ziruo's class was the first session of the day, starting at dawn and ending at mid-morning, from seven o'clock to nine o'clock. Seven o'clock was a bit early for visitors, a breach of etiquette. According to the character of the protagonist Chu Fan, it was impossible for him to visit at this hour. He Yunxiao decided not to wait at Fan's residence and instead arrived early at Lu Jiao Academy to secure a seat in Fan Ziruo's classroom. For the citizens of Qi, who rose at sunrise and rested at sundown, seven o'clock was not too early. So, when He Yunxiao arrived at the classroom, most of the seats were already occupied. The front seat he had been sitting in was now occupied by Huang Buren and Meng Yan, following the agreement of taking turns to sit there. He Yunxiao was very open-minded and didn't mind this seat occupation because he had another plan. Engaging in such petty struggles was beneath him. On the other hand, Li Jin, being considerate, had saved a seat for He Yunxiao. "He Yunxiao, over here!" Seeing He Yunxiao entering the classroom, Li Jin greeted him warmly. As soon as He Yunxiao saw Li Jin, he exploded on the spot and slapped him on the head, "Are you... are you pretending to be me in front of Nan Zhu?" Li Jin was self-satisfied and smug, "There's no need to thank me, Brother He." Thank you? Thank your foot! I want to beat you up right now! "What did you do yesterday? Recount everything to me, every detail!" Indeed, Li Jin recounted everything from the moment he and Meng Yan went to the restroom. Having listened, He Yunxiao confirmed the details about Li Qingmeng and thought to himself that his speculation had been correct—Li Qingmeng was indeed a trusted subordinate of Meng Qingqing. Of course, what concerned him the most was Nan Zhu, his wife. Li Jin's actions had thrown He Yunxiao off a bit. Now, there was no point in beating him up. He had no choice but to say, "After class today, at the beginning of the hour of You, wait for me at the gate of the academy. We will go into the palace together and explain everything to Nan Zhu." The beginning of the hour of You was a little after five o'clock in the afternoon. Li Jin, with the weighty matter of promoting the engagement on his mind, was pleased to see He Yunxiao's determination. Therefore, without hesitation, he agreed. The two of them stayed outside for a while, and when they came back to their senses, the lesson had already been going on for quite some time. He Yunxiao cursed inwardly. They hurried back into the classroom. Inside, Fan Ziruo had already begun the lesson. Some of the dandies below were, as usual, whispering among themselves. Fan Ziruo remained unperturbed, clearly accustomed to this. She was in the middle of her lecture when she suddenly heard footsteps. She took her eyes off the book and saw He Yunxiao and Li Jin hastening in. [Fan Ziruo's Favorability has decreased from 34 to 33] Fan Ziruo disregarded He Yunxiao's hurried arrival as if it were of no consequence and continued with her lecture without showing any change in expression. Li Jin surreptitiously snuck back to his seat, pretending as if nothing had happened. He Yunxiao knew Fan Ziruo's temperament well. Before he arrived, she usually only focused on teaching and rarely engaged in any unrelated conversations during class. Today, not only did she speak, but she also praised He Yunxiao. This caused many people's perspectives to crumble a bit. Meng Yan was one of them. In terms of family background, he was no weaker than He Yunxiao. In terms of literary talent, he had even composed his own poetry, confident that it surpassed "The Edge of the Abyss." In terms of appearance, he knew he was only slightly inferior to He Yunxiao. Most importantly, he had no intention of taking part in the imperial examinations or attending the academy; he was solely there for Fan Ziruo. Yet, here he was, achieving nothing so far except being overshadowed by He Yunxiao. This was unacceptable! Damn it! That He Yunxiao, I refuse to accept this! As he fumed, his arm was suddenly seized by the evolved Huang Buren! Meng Yan turned to look at Huang Buren, even he had noticed that something was off with Huang Buren's recent behavior. "Huang, my friend?" Huang Buren's gaze was profound, and he murmured, "Brother Meng, exercise restraint." "Mm?" Soon, he understood the depth of Huang's words. For now, conflicting with He Yunxiao without martial skills on his side, despite having extraordinary status, would only lead to a humiliating outcome. He didn't want to become a laughingstock in front of Fan Ziruo. Thank you, Huang, for the advice! Exercise restraint! I need to exercise restraint! As Meng Yan restrained himself, he comforted himself, "Meng Yan, you are sitting in the front row, closest to Fan Ziruo. As the saying goes, the nearest water mill wheels grind first; He Yunxiao won't be able to surpass you in the end." He Yunxiao hadn't paid any attention to Meng Yan and Huang Buren's actions. He was too focused on Fan Ziruo. His successful "display of responsibility" had had some effect. But if he were satisfied with just this, he wouldn't be He Yunxiao. Ha, I won't compete for the front row with you all because the significance of the front row has already been lost! He Yunxiao picked up his book and stood up abruptly. To everyone's surprise, he held himself accountable for being late. While towering over everyone, he made sure to speak eloquently and clearly, "Being late is a minor issue, but the attitude that caused me to be late is of paramount importance. Details determine success or failure, and attitude determines everything. Without rules, there is no order. Please forgive me, Miss,for recognizing my mistake, but I cannot forgive myself, so I willingly accept punishment!" Everyone was dumbfounded. He Yunxiao had been pardoned, but he wouldn't pardon himself. Was he being foolish? For a moment, a mixture of sighs and sneers reached He Yunxiao from all sides. But then everyone fell silent. Because after a preamble, He Yunxiao straightforwardly revealed his purpose. "I willingly accept punishment! I'll punish myself and shield Miss from the wind!" After that, He Yunxiao, who had been prepared for this, picked up his book and went over to Fan Ziruo's desk. He sat down boldly, without a hint of embarrassment, on Fan Ziruo's left side. The classroom was situated by the pond, with an open layout, and it was indeed a bit chilly in the early morning. With He Yunxiao's self-imposed punishment for being late, it seemed reasonable, both logically and habitually. But the more reasonable this action seemed, the more perplexing it became to everyone. What the hell? Wasn't he supposed to be punishing himself? Why was he now sitting so close to Fan Ziruo, despite that? This was because during his private tutoring sessions in Fan's study, He Yunxiao had always sat on Fan Ziruo's left side. Now, he was willing to punish himself and sit on her left side again. Fan Ziruo saw nothing wrong with this, either in terms of logic or habit. She didn't say anything and continued with her lecture. After a while, she realized that He Yunxiao's "shielding" seemed to be effective. It was as if the chilly morning breeze had disappeared. This was inexplicable. He Yunxiao wasn't a wall, so how had he managed to block the wind? Soon, the observant Fan Ziruo discovered the trick. She took a deep look at He Yunxiao. In her heart, she sighed—this was too much, even for self-punishment. [Fan Ziruo's Favorability has increased from 35 to 38]