Chapter 89 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

He Yunxiao was beginning to feel a little regretful. When he left the Fan Mansion yesterday, he forgot to ask Fan Ziruo which class she had the next day. Later, when he had Yangchun noodles with Li Jin, he was too engrossed to remember to ask Li Jin which class Yu He would be teaching the next day. Now, he truly felt regret. A lot of regret. If only he had asked earlier, he wouldn't have had to get up so early. At least, he could've had a lie-in. Last night, He Yunxiao had been very diligently reading martial arts novels! This wasn't what he wanted to read; it was all for the sake of strategy! It was all for the greater good! It was all to free Fan Ziruo from the clutches of Chu Xiaoxiao! Due to the time period, the style of martial arts novels in the Qi State was quite naive. Basically, He Yunxiao could guess the ending as soon as he read the beginning. But due to lack of entertainment, with martial arts novels being the only thing to read, He Yunxiao had to grit his teeth and read them. Later, he found it quite interesting to see how the author wrote about poison. As long as my immersion in the story is flexible enough, I can enjoy any poison in the story! Staying up late and getting up early, he couldn't help but feel a bit groggy. Until He Yunxiao felt that he was almost going to be late, he hurriedly got up and quickly washed up a bit, then ran to catch the carriage. Halfway there, He Yunxiao suddenly remembered the martial arts novel he had prepared to take to Fan Ziruo last night, which he had forgotten. So, he immediately turned back to his room, grabbed the martial arts novel and the illustrated martial arts manual. Thankfully, the carriage driver was very skillful, so they drove at breakneck speed, and finally, just as the class was about to begin, He Yunxiao was able to deliver the books to the academy. As soon as He Yunxiao entered the classroom, she suddenly realized that the first class wasn't actually Fan Ziruo's. Well, miscalculation. He would have slept a little longer if he had known. Seeing that there weren't many people paying attention to him in the classroom at the moment, He Yunxiao decided to sneak away quietly. Li Jin, who was ready for studying, noticed He Yunxiao's tardiness and waved at him. "Brother He, over here, I've saved you a seat." The situation suddenly became awkward. Everyone looked at He Yunxiao. With all eyes on her, He Yunxiao was momentarily at a loss. Li Jin, you really don't know what you're causing! Cursing Li Jin aside, He Yunxiao couldn't really be mad at Li Jin. After all, who could blame a fool? He Yunxiao suddenly asked, "Brother Li, have you had breakfast?" "Yes," Li Jin replied, a little puzzled. "What did you have?" "Porridge." "And no side dishes?" "No." He Yunxiao angrily said, "How can you have porridge without side dishes!" Li Jin was taken aback by the question, and then thought about it. Indeed, how can one have porridge without side dishes? He Yunxiao gravely said, "Li brother, wait here. I'll go buy you some side dishes." Upon hearing about side dishes, Li Jin exclaimed, "Brother He, you're a true friend!" He Yunxiao said, "Consider it done." Then, He turned and left the classroom in a hurry. Meng Yan couldn't help but intervene, "Li Jin, He Yunxiao didn't go to buy side dishes, he skipped class." Li Jin furiously said, "Meng Yan, how dare you slander my brother?" Meng Yan: This kid is beyond help. Meng Yan: Wait, why did I think he was ever savable? ... After sneaking out of the classroom, He Yunxiao suddenly realized he had another tricky situation on his hands. He had brought too many books. He had hurried out in the morning and had inadvertently brought several martial arts novels that he shouldn’t have. What if he's seen by Ziruo? How will she misunderstand my intentions? Will my affection level plummet like rain? He Yunxiao walked along the path from the academy to the Fan Mansion, but halfway there, He thought for a moment, took a slightly roundabout route, and slipped into the quiet garden of the academy. Although He Yunxiao was a frequent visitor to the academy, the garden was still quite a labyrinth for him. After some meandering, He Yunxiao finally relied on his speedy running to cover a lot of ground and arrived at the place where he had last met the Antidote Girl. This place was secluded, had a characteristic fruit tree, and was hard to find, hidden, and also had a distinct landmark. In short, it was perfect for hiding things. He Yunxiao went to another tree this time, not the one the Antidote Girl had buried the bad fruit in, but the one the Antidote Girl had shaken the fruit from. He extracted the three books Ziruo couldn't read, wrapped them in two handkerchiefs, and buried them in the ground under the tree. These were two new handkerchiefs. As for the handkerchiefs used by Du Meimei and the Antidote Girl, He Yunxiao had found a box, placed them in it separately, and stored them away. He even wrote down their usage and origin, just in case he forgot later on. Joking aside, these were precious items that recorded the progress of his relationships. For the Antidote Girl, the handkerchief had another use, it could tease her and make her blush shyly, it was really something. The more He Yunxiao used them, the more he found handkerchiefs to be incredibly useful. Aside from anything else, the two that wrapped the books today not only protected the novels but also saved his affection. Generally, He Yunxiao would choose handkerchiefs with good water absorption. Practicality was the main focus, and style was secondary. Because no one else would appreciate them as much as he did. Moreover, the essence of the handkerchief doesn’t lie in the handkerchief itself but in the things attached to the handkerchief. A master of handkerchiefs, for sure. After burying the books, He Yunxiao stood up, dusted off the dirt from his hands, and carried the remaining books and his book box before heading back to the Fan Mansion's study. After He Yunxiao had completely departed, Princess Xiaoyue's personal guard, the female swordsman Jian Ling with the pinnacle of ninth-ranked strength, leapt down from a nearby, lush and thick tree. This tree had dense branches and was suitable for hiding oneself. Therefore, each time Meng Qingqian came to torture Fan Yu at the academy, Jian Ling would squat in the tree to be on the lookout for her, to prevent anyone with bad intentions from disturbing the princess's peace. In fact, unless Meng Qingqian was specifically meeting Fan Yu, Jian Ling wouldn't bother to shoo away casual student passersby in this area. Even if someone did happen to run into Meng Qingqian, it wasn't a big deal. Few students in the academy had actually met Meng Qingqian, and most of those who had seen her were various aristocratic offspring or officials from the court. Among the younger generation, only Li Jin and Meng Yan had recognized Meng Qingqian at a glance. As long as these two hadn’t seen Princess Xiaoyue appear at the academy, then everything would be fine. Other than the general students at the academy, Jian Ling also needed to be on guard against Han Wenxin's secret agents. Fortunately, going to the academy was extremely discreet, and currently, there was no movement from anyone with a name or title affiliated with the prime minister. Though Jian Ling was usually calm, she still found it boring to spend several days up in the tree. If any careless student did venture near the small house where Meng Qingqian was staying, it would at least draw her attention and make her alert, but the truth was, not even that was happening. So she just stayed in the tree, engaged in a silent battle of wits with the air. Until He Yunxiao appeared and surreptitiously buried something. This surely wasn't a good sign. Jian Ling, who had always been by Meng Qingqian's side, hadn't seen He Yunxiao. That didn't stop her from reporting to Meng Qingqian that someone was secretly hiding something and likely had bad intentions. Meng Qingqian, as usual, sat in the small house in the academy's garden, holding a folded paper. She asked Jian Ling, "Did you get a good look at his face?" "I didn't see his full face, but even his side profile was very handsome." Hiding something under a fruit tree and very handsome? Meng Qingqian's expression grew odd. Even Jian Ling thinks he's very handsome... Could it be that scoundrel He Yunxiao? She wasn't willing to meddle in the academy's affairs, but this was something He Yunxiao had done, and that made all the difference in the world. Just the thought of the handkerchief that had wiped her saliva still being in He Yunxiao's hands made Meng Qingqian wish to deal with this troublemaker as quickly as possible! "Let's see what secret you're hiding, He Yunxiao!"