Chapter 88 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

He Yunxiao and Li Jin sat in the Hou Mansion's carriage as it swayed and left the palace. Glancing at the listless He Yunxiao, Li Jin spoke reassuringly, "Brother He, don't be too sad. What's so great about women anyway? Let me treat you to some plain noodles at the restaurant opposite the Chunfeng Tower." He Yunxiao, feeling crestfallen from his wife Nan Zhu's reproach, was slow to recover. "I don't want to eat," he replied. Eventually, yielding to Li Jin's insistence, the carriage stopped in front of the Chunfeng Tower. "Boss, two bowls of plain noodles," Li Jin called out. Not feeling much appetite, He Yunxiao insisted, "You go ahead and eat. I won't." Sighing, Li Jin said, "I should have eaten at my cousin's place before leaving the palace. You wouldn't believe the meals at my cousin's, all prepared by the Imperial Kitchen's top chef. Alas, we can't turn back time." Moments later, steaming bowls of noodles were served. Li Jin didn't waste time and, having escorted He Yunxiao to the palace straight after school, hadn’t had a bite to eat yet. He picked up a large helping of noodles with his chopsticks, let them cool in the air, and then devoured them in one go, despite the heat. Watching Li Jin, He Yunxiao, recalling what he said about "not being able to turn back time," suddenly felt hungry. Without further delay, he picked up the noodles, buried his head in the steaming vapor, and ate heartily. After finishing their meal and savoring the post-feast bliss, Li Jin casually brought up, "Brother He, do you know what I do when I anger my cousin?" "What do you do?" He Yunxiao asked. "I run away," Li Jin replied with a grin. Hearing this, He Yunxiao couldn't help but smile. "You're something else," he said. "Hehe." With Li Jin's deliberate hint, He Yunxiao also gained some clarity. One cannot turn back time. What's done is done, and what exists, exists. Li Jin missed out on the meals at his cousin's, and I had a fleeting disagreement with my wife Nan Zhu. Whether it's about pursuing someone or handling matters, am I, He Yunxiao, only able to accept success and not failure? Am I only allowed to be liked more by others, and not disliked at all? Nan Zhu is a living person, not my toy. Of course, she will have her emotions and her own ideas and perspectives. If my wife is upset, I can just coax her back. What's there to worry about? In the beginning, the Herbalist Girl only had a favorability of 10, and Chu Xiaoxiao had a favorability of 0. But now, they're both fine. Even if Nan Zhu is angry with you, she still has a favorability of 20. Isn't that enough to show her love for you, He Yunxiao? Be content, He Yunxiao! ... Leaning back in his chair and patting his satisfied stomach, Li Jin entertained the thought of having another bowl of noodles. Then, he noticed that He Yunxiao seemed off. Oh no! Although there was no sign of anger, He Yunxiao seemed to be ignited! Carefully, he asked, "He Yunxiao, are you okay?" "Haha! I'm fine!" He Yunxiao replied energetically. "Boss, the bill's on me. I'll treat you to this meal." He then patted Li Jin's shoulder and said, "Li Jin, take the carriage home." Li Jin: ? As expected, He Yunxiao ran home, and he did so on foot without using lightness skills or inner strength, solely relying on physical strength. Unfortunately, even without relying on martial skills, the physical prowess of a martial practitioner far surpassed that of a non-practitioner. He covered the distance from Chunfeng Tower to his mansion with ease, barely breaking a sweat. After the exercise, He Yunxiao had cooled down. He promptly analyzed the current situation: There are three female leads that still need to be wooed. Fan Ziruo, Li Qingmeng, and Meng Qingrou. Fan Ziruo’s affirmation of Chu Fan's favorability must take top priority, given that any displeasure could swiftly land her on Chu Xiaoxiao's assassination list. Next is Li Qingmeng, whose favorability reward, the pill to neutralize the Soul Devouring Pill, is crucial now that Nan Zhu and I have clashed. Obtaining this reward sooner rather than later is advantageous. Finally, Nan Zhu. Li Jin was right. "Annoyed my cousin, so I run." Nan Zhu and I are at odds, and she’s still in a fury. In such a situation, it’s best not to provoke her, but to give her some time to calm down, and then find a way to rebuild our relationship. As the mansion came into view, He Yunxiao's pace slowed to a stroll. Deep in thought, he continued: Though we are not on good terms, I still need to buy things and report to my wife as usual, even if we are not on speaking terms. No matter our feelings, I cannot allow Nan Zhu to forget about me entirely. The thought of buying things led He Yunxiao to think about money, and thinking about money led him to think about Sister Jiang. Redeeming her freedom will require at least ten thousand taels of silver. Even within the Hou Mansion, this sum is not insignificant. He Yunxiao started to feel a headache coming on. The last time I used a thousand taels to buy clothes for Chu Xiaoxiao, I had to sign an IOU. If not for Aunt's intervention, Father would have been furious had he found out. This time, it's ten thousand taels for Sister Jiang... Aunt will not be able to shield me this time. So, when wooing Fan Ziruo, I need to find a way to earn money... Thinking about earning money made He Yunxiao extremely uncomfortable. In his past life, he was just an ordinary worker, constantly thinking about making money. Now, as a time-traveler and a noble, he still has to figure out a way to earn money! Unable to come up with a strategy to procure money, He Yunxiao even pondered the idea of stealing Father's military token, starting a rebellion, and snatching ten thousand taels to free Sister Jiang, making things simpler. His mind in disarray, He Yunxiao finally arrived home, strolling through the door of the Hou Mansion. He typically wasn’t very eager to return to the Hou Mansion. Returning home in ancient times was nothing like it was in modern times. Modern homecomings involve opening up a computer to play games or lying in bed playing with a mobile phone, ordering bubble tea when you're thirsty and takeaway when you're hungry, all delivered to your doorstep. There's an inherent reluctance to leave. It was different when returning home in ancient times. Firstly, there were no entertainment options, and secondly, social hierarchies were more defined. While there were many people in the mansion, most were servants such as attendants and maids who were trembling even when speaking to He Yunxiao, let alone playing with him. And if they were not servants, they were Father and Aunt. How could he play with them? After dinner, He Yunxiao didn’t plan to head to the main hall of the mansion upon his return but went straight to the study, hoping to find a few simple martial arts manuals or martial arts novels that he could bring to Fan Ziruo the next day. To his surprise, the study in the mansion was quite well-stocked and, after meticulous searching, he managed to find several simple martial arts illustrated books and martial arts novels. Discarding the martial arts manuals, He Yunxiao decided to test out these novels on Fan Ziruo first. After flipping through a few pages of the first book, He Yunxiao couldn’t help but exclaim, "Wow!" In simple terms, this one was a martial arts story similar to “A Chinese Ghost Story.” The female lead cultivated by absorbing the inner strength of male characters, and then fell in love with the male lead, embracing righteousness. Of course, the process of absorbing inner strength was known to those who knew. If this was in the modern internet novels, it would be labeled as "toxic" and readers would chase after it, cursing it a hundredfold. He Yunxiao pondered that, considering the limited entertainment options in Chu, it was surprising that this level of storyline was accepted by readers. Despite this, for the purity of Ziruo, novels with such explicit descriptions were disregarded by He Yunxiao. He skimmed through a few more and even had the thought, "I could have written this one myself." Just as he was about to re-read some novels he shouldn’t, a maidservant called him to the reception hall. "Young Master, Master is calling you in the reception hall." Perplexed, as he hadn't done anything unfavorable recently, He Yunxiao walked to the reception hall and saw an unexpected visitor. Dr. Wei. What was he doing here? Upon seeing He Yunxiao, He Yuanhao immediately called out, "Dr. Wei personally delivered medicine for you. Shouldn't you thank your uncle?" Medicine? Dr. Wei handed a food container to He Yunxiao. Opening it, He Yunxiao found a porcelain plate, charcoal, and a bowl of medicine inside. With one glance, He Yunxiao recognized what it was. He had drunk this yesterday. It was the medicine Nan Zhu had cooked, the medicine to cure the Soul Devouring Pill. He Yunxiao lifted the bowl and, due to the warmth from the charcoal, the medicine was still tepid. He couldn't help but smile. My wife does indeed still love me. Without a word, He Yunxiao swiftly downed the entire bowl, not leaving a drop. To him, the medicine was not bitter, but rather sweet.