"How could you be so careless?"
"Wait here. I'll get some alcohol from the bedroom to clean your wound."
Hearing this, a trace of worry flickered across Liu Ruoxin's face. She rose at once, ready to fetch the alcohol.
Ye Fan, catching her words, couldn't hide the joy that bloomed on his face—another opportunity to share a moment of closeness with Ruoxin.
And although he had felt somewhat aggrieved when uttering those words earlier, Ye Fan was nonetheless pleased to realize that Ruoxin appeared unaware of his earlier act of voyeurism. He wasn't sure why Chu Yi had kept quiet, but he knew that once more time passed, it would be too late for him to stir up trouble with it.
Casting a smug glance toward Chu Yi, Ye Fan's satisfaction was evident.
But Chu Yi merely smiled faintly, raising a hand to gently stop Ruoxin's movement.
"Cousin, why don't I go instead? I can clean up Ye Fan's wound too."
"You're a lady, after all. Isn't it a little inappropriate to be so close to a man?"
"Ah!"
Ruoxin flushed scarlet in an instant. Only then did she become aware—though Chu Yi had come alone, if he were to witness any overly intimate interaction between her and Ye Fan, it might stir unwanted misunderstandings.
Should he relay anything to her father, she would have no way to explain herself.
Indeed, it was better to maintain some distance from Ye Fan.
After a brief moment of consideration, she nodded.
"Alright, cousin. I'll leave it to you."
Her words struck Ye Fan like a slap across the face, instantly souring his expression.
Chu Yi, however, smiled sweetly at Ye Fan.
Trying to take advantage of my cousin? Dream on.
After shooting Ye Fan a taunting look, Chu Yi turned and strolled into Ruoxin's bedroom.
"Ruoxin, when is your cousin finally leaving?"
Utterly disgusted, Ye Fan felt like his brain might explode from the fury.
As soon as Chu Yi left the couch, he turned urgently to Ruoxin.
For some reason, Chu Yi was rubbing him the wrong way like no one else ever had.
"He said since he's already come all this way, it would be rude not to greet my aunt. He'll leave after meeting your mother."
"What?!"
Ye Fan let out a silent wail.
Greet his mother? That meant Chu Yi would be hanging around for several more hours!
"What's wrong, Xiao Fan?"
Ruoxin smiled faintly at Ye Fan's reaction, unbothered.
In her eyes, it was just two boys vying for her attention—childish, really, but also amusing.
She was entirely unaware that neither young man harbored innocent intentions, and that the one truly enjoying this farce… was herself.
"I found it. Let me take care of that wound for you."
Chu Yi reappeared from the bedroom, stepping over to Ye Fan with alcohol and cotton in hand.
He was, of course, ready to thoroughly tend to Ye Fan's injury.
Yet as he looked upon Ye Fan's bruised and battered face, he couldn't help but find it all absurdly comical.
I gave him that beating, and now I'm the one playing the concerned caregiver? This is ridiculous.
Ye Fan glared at him with venomous intensity, his composure clearly cracking.
You're the one who beat me! And now you're pretending to play the good guy? What kind of sick joke is this?!
But from Ruoxin's perspective, it was a completely different scene.
To her eyes, the two young men were interacting in unexpected harmony. Chu Yi appeared cautious and considerate as he cleaned Ye Fan's wounds, while Ye Fan responded with a gentle smile.
It was a warm, brotherly tableau.
So much so that Ruoxin nodded with satisfaction.
Clearly, they were getting along just fine.
"You two stay here—I'm going to prepare dinner."
Seeing the harmony between them, she finally felt at ease to leave them on their own.
Originally, after her shower, it was her turn to cook. But she had delayed it, worried the two might come to blows.
Now, hearing the clatter of pots and pans from the kitchen, the living room was left to just Ye Fan and Chu Yi—locked in a silent stare-down.
"Give it here," Ye Fan snapped.
With Ruoxin gone, he immediately snatched the alcohol from Chu Yi's hands.
While Ruoxin had been around, Chu Yi had acted gentle. But the moment she was out of sight, he'd become rough, applying the alcohol with cruel pressure.
Ye Fan's face twitched in pain.
Chu Yi simply smiled and said nothing, reclining on the sofa, waiting silently for Ye Fan's mother to return.
Thump. Thump.
A few moments later, the sound of sneakers on the stairs echoed.
Click.
The door opened.
A plainly dressed, unremarkable middle-aged woman stepped inside.
"Lin Fan, is that your friend sitting beside you?"
Kicking off her shoes, she glanced at the youth.
For some reason, a look of distaste flashed in her eyes.
Ding! Because Li Xiuhua is Ye Fan's mother, her initial favorability toward you has dropped by ten points.
"What the hell?"
The voice in his head caught Chu Yi completely off guard.
If things continued like this, his entire strategy might be ruined.
He had originally planned to win over both Ruoxin and Ye Fan's mother—creating a natural advantage in competing with Ye Fan.
But now…
As this thought flashed through his mind, Chu Yi quickly composed himself and greeted the woman with a warm smile.
"Auntie, you must be Ye Fan's mother?"
"I'm Liu Ruoxin's cousin. My name is Chu Yi."
"Thank you for taking such good care of my cousin these past few days."
Fake.
Though Chu Yi appeared sunny and gentle, to Li Xiuhua, his smile was instantly labeled as insincere.
Her instincts told her this boy was bad news.
Ding! Because Li Xiuhua found your smile disingenuous, her favorability has dropped by another ten percent.
"Damn it."
Hearing the voice in his mind again, Chu Yi finally understood.
Winning over Li Xiuhua was a lost cause.
Under the pressure of the protagonist's luck halo, he was nothing more than the designated villain.
And villains don't get to mingle freely among the protagonist's people.
His face gradually returned to a colder, more detached expression—his true demeanor.
"Chu Yi, was it?"
"Well, since you've already paid your visit, perhaps it's time for you to leave?"
"As you can see, our home is quite small."
Having formed a dislike for Chu Yi, Li Xiuhua didn't bother with formalities. She directly issued her guest an eviction notice.
From the side, Ye Fan's eyes lit up with satisfaction.
He had been humiliated by Chu Yi earlier—this was sweet revenge.