When Chu Yi stepped into Liu Ruoxin's room, a wave of unease surged within Ye Fan's heart.
From that moment on, he had kept his eyes fixed on the door, unease coiling in his chest. So when he heard Ruoxin's cry of pain, he could no longer sit still. Agitation seized him, and he rushed toward her room, pounding on the door and calling out loudly.
"Damn it! Did her so-called cousin do something inappropriate?"
"Otherwise, why would she cry out like that?"
A dark suspicion took root in his mind. Gritting his teeth, his fists clenched tight, Ye Fan's face was drawn with tension.
"Chu Yi..."
Inside the room, Ruoxin's face paled in panic at the sound of his knocking. Her current posture was already indecent enough—allowing Chu Yi in had taken all her courage. If Ye Fan barged in now, she would die of embarrassment.
Two men. One room.
Just the thought of it made her cheeks burn.
"It's alright."
Chu Yi gently reassured Ruoxin with a large, calming hand, before shifting his gaze toward the door. Sensing the tremor beyond the threshold, his expression darkened.
This damn Ye Fan—what a persistent pest.
All he wanted was to earn a few favor points with Liu Ruoxin, and yet here came Ye Fan, ruining the moment.
It was like being forced to stop halfway through a feast—utterly infuriating.
Why hadn't he taken the chance to punch him a few more times earlier?
"Ye Fan, are you some kind of rabid dog? What are you howling for outside my cousin's room?"
"Keep this up, and I swear I'll call the police."
Having had enough, Chu Yi unleashed his verbal barrage. He might not be able to overpower Ye Fan with fists—for now—but words were still a battlefield he could win.
He wasn't one of those brainless villains who'd rather lose face than call the cops, sending minions to die in vain.
"Go ahead, call them," Ye Fan snapped back. "I have every reason to believe you're not her cousin at all."
"You've broken into someone's home, possibly hurt someone—let's see who ends up in jail."
He refused to back down. Inside that room was Ruoxin—his Ruoxin—who had always been warm and kind to him. If she was in danger, he wouldn't let fear hold him back. He even managed to turn Chu Yi's threat against him.
"How amusing," Chu Yi chuckled coldly, lips curled in disdain.
This protagonist had some wit, at least.
But still—just petty tricks.
If his relationship with Ruoxin were as shallow as Ye Fan assumed, perhaps he'd be forced to concede.
But that clearly wasn't the case.
Turning his eyes toward Ruoxin, Chu Yi spoke softly.
"Cousin, why don't you say a word to the foolish boy at the door?"
"Otherwise… I can't promise what might happen next."
He spread his hands with a helpless shrug.
"Foolish boy?" Ruoxin rolled her eyes at him, but in her heart, she accepted the suggestion. At this point, there was no better option.
After a brief pause, her lips parted, and she called out toward the door.
"Ye Fan, stop yelling. I'm fine."
"Chu Yi… really is my cousin."
The moment the words left her lips, her cheeks flushed crimson.
Cousin? Since when do cousins share a bathroom?
Especially when she was… so barely dressed.
She glanced down at the bath towel wrapped hastily around her, her heart racing.
Outside, Ye Fan stood frozen, stunned by her words. As the shock faded, sorrow crept into his expression.
The warm and gentle Ruoxin who once always sided with him had now chosen to stand with that so-called cousin—someone she had barely met.
All his efforts, all his worries for her safety, now felt like a joke.
A bitter smile touched his lips as he turned, retreating quietly to his room, lying on his bed without another word. The vibrant thoughts that had once filled his mind dissolved into emptiness.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host. You have inflicted a psychological blow to the Child of Fate. Gained 300 Villain Points.
The system's voice echoed in Chu Yi's mind. Yet he showed no surprise—only a satisfied smile as he glanced at the now-silent hallway.
As expected, Ye Fan had yet to stumble upon his destined opportunities.
Which meant that for now, his nature remained fragile, steeped in self-doubt and insecurity.
After all, Chu Yi remembered clearly the background given in the early chapters: Ye Fan had once been crushed by a humiliating breakup. A wealthy girl's father had forced her to abandon Ye Fan, shattering his spirit. That pain caused him to drop out of school, drowning in inferiority.
That wound was the author's cruelest weapon—a backstory that earned him endless sympathy from female leads early on.
And it worked.
Every heroine who fell for Ye Fan had done so from that wellspring of pity.
It gave him a natural advantage in all his romantic encounters.
Back in the room, while Chu Yi mused over the intricacies of character design, Liu Ruoxin was wracked with guilt.
She knew about Ye Fan's past. She knew how deeply one girl's betrayal had wounded him, how it had dragged him down.
Had her words just now… been too harsh?
Would they wound him even deeper?
Hiss—
Caught up in her thoughts, Ruoxin moved without caution, bumping her injured foot hard against the wall. Pain surged up her leg, and tears welled in her eyes, glittering like dew—utterly heartbreaking.
"You okay?"
Chu Yi snapped out of his thoughts and turned toward her.
"It hurts…" Ruoxin whimpered, pointing at her swollen ankle.
"Heh…"
Seeing how her foot had grown even more swollen, Chu Yi couldn't help but chuckle.
"You're still laughing?"
Ruoxin shot him a glare, exasperated by his smile.
What a jerk.
Yet even as she scolded him, her eyes couldn't help but linger on his striking features.
"All right, all right. Let me help ease the pain."
Seeing her flustered expression, Chu Yi finally dropped his teasing tone. His face grew more serious, and he knelt down.
Placing his large hands gently on her ankle, he began to massage it with practiced ease.
In a past life, when he was in his twenties, he had studied traditional medicine under an old master out of sheer curiosity.
So when it came to treating swelling and sprains—Chu Yi was more than capable.