Chapter 98 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

Fan Ziruo waited anxiously in the study for He Yunxiao and Chu Xiaoxiao for a long time, and finally they returned. "Master He, where have you been? It's been half an hour since you left." He really wanted to say that he went to give Miss Chu a massage. But he didn’t dare. He could only smile and say, "Miss Chu was feeling upset, so I accompanied her for a walk in the courtyard." Chu Chu glared at He Yunxiao. "Don’t always use me as an excuse to deceive her," she said. He Yunxiao promised, "Next time, for sure." Fan Ziruo, being smart and observant, realized that He Yunxiao didn’t want to elaborate. Since he used "taking a walk," a cliché, as an excuse, she stopped questioning him altogether. Although she was curious, she was skilled at observing and suppressing her inquisitiveness. She refrained from asking things one shouldn't ask or things others didn't want to say. "Master He, let's continue as we did yesterday. If you don’t understand something, ask me." "Okay," He Yunxiao agreed. He looked at Fan Ziruo's 73% favorability, and her current somewhat distant attitude, and was amazed. ["Personality: quiet, introverted, not easily emotional."] What a "quiet, introverted" woman. The system was indeed always a god. Back when Sister Jiang's favorability was at 70%, she seemed to have no reservations with me, speaking freely on any topic. Now, with Fan Ziruo's 73% favorability, it seemed similar to when it was at 33%. He thought that if Chu Chu wasn’t present now, they could have a warmer relationship while discussing novels. But there was an advantage to having Chu Chu around. As usual, He Yunxiao and Chu Chu sat side by side at the desk, while Fan Ziruo sat alone at the front. This side of the desk was much shorter, so sitting together with Chu Chu on it made it a little cramped. Previously, He Yunxiao would place the book in the middle and read with Chu Chu, leaning to the side to free up some space and not make it look crowded. But now, He Yunxiao had a change of heart. He placed the book in the middle, but instead of leaning, he sat close to Chu Chu, their shoulders touching. His big hand under the table stealthily grabbed Chu Chu's small hand. Of course, Chu Chu wouldn’t let him hold her hand and immediately resisted. But because Fan Ziruo was present and to maintain the image of not being skilled in martial arts, she didn't use much force to avoid causing a scene. Chu Chu dared not use force, so He Yunxiao had the upper hand. His hand was much larger than Chu Chu's, and he had slightly more physical strength. "Yunxiao, you're being presumptuous!" He Yunxiao pretended to be innocent, "What’s wrong, Chu Chu?" "You dare to touch me recklessly!" He Yunxiao smirked, thinking, "Just a moment ago, you were blushing while lying under me, and now you deny everything? How inconsistent." He Yunxiao conveyed, "How is that possible? This lady herself allowed me to touch." "Nonsense." "The lady said she would impart skills to me to become a grandmaster, did she not?" "Yes." "Good. Then transferring skills requires physical contact to minimize the loss of inner strength, doesn't it?" "Yes." "The lady said the transfer of skills would be too forceful for me to bear. I suggested doing it little by little during normal days, and the lady agreed. Is this not so?" "It is," Chu Chu gnashed her teeth. He Yunxiao smugly said, "So now is a good opportunity for imparting skills. Lady, why haven’t you started? Why retract your hand? Unless the great Lady Chu Chu, who is rumored to have unparalleled martial arts skills, wants to break her promise and be inconsistent and untrustworthy?" Chu Chu was so furious that she wanted to beat him up. But what he said was true; she had foolishly agreed to these impertinent requests. "I’ll impart the skills now, be prepared." He Yunxiao readily agreed, feeling triumphant. While others practiced strenuously, I only need to hold the hands of a beautiful lady. What a life, so easy! Well, a spirit-devouring pill helped me absorb Lady Nan Zhu and Chu Chu, and indirectly Miss Du, Mr. Ziruo, and Lady Remedy. Ah, what a feast! Spirit-devouring pill! I’d like another one. Just as He Yunxiao was reveling in his own cunning, a disturbing signal came from Chu Chu's hand grasped by him. A large amount of pure inner strength, as substantial as could be, flowed into his palm through Chu Chu’s delicate hand. He first felt thrilled. Chu Chu's inner strength was exceptionally pure, something most people couldn’t achieve even in their lifetime. And now, this valuable strength was freely flowing into his body. But soon, his pleasure turned. The purity of Chu Chu's inner strength induced an initial euphoria, but it swiftly transformed into a searing pain as it circulated through his meridians once again, akin to alcohol on an open wound. He Yunxiao would’ve collapsed in agony had he not been conditioned by the spirit-devouring pill. Beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead. He Yunxiao urgently sent a message, "Chu Chu, you've given me too much at once, diminish it." "Are you teaching me?" retorted Chu Chu. "Damn!" With his spirit-devouring pill as a safety net, He Yunxiao wasn’t worried about ruptured meridians. With Chu Chu guiding, he wouldn’t succumb to demonic influence. At most, it would only be painful, but it wouldn’t match the pain from the spirit-devouring pill! "Ziruo, we won't have a class this morning. You should go play with Yin Yun," He Yunxiao instructed. Before Fan Ziruo could respond, He Yunxiao felt a sudden surge of inner strength in his hand. Concerned about He Yunxiao, Fan Ziruo said, "Master He…" He Yunxiao interrupted, "Please, quickly close the door. I'm fine." Though worried, Fan Ziruo believed his words and closed the door before leaving. Experiencing torment all over, He Yunxiao smiled at Chu Chu. "Now it’s just the two of us again."