Yet there was no alternative—what needed to be spent, must still be spent.
With this thought, Ye Fan tried to console himself as he turned to walk home.
A fleeting glance.
Through the dappled sunlight filtering between the branches, Chu Yi's figure suddenly entered his vision.
"That… that's Chu Yi?"
A trace of astonishment flickered in Ye Fan's eyes.
And no wonder—his expression of surprise was entirely justified.
Compared to the pitiful sight he had been when he once beat Ye Fan down, Chu Yi now seemed an entirely different person, as though reborn.
Back then, Chu Yi came off as a struggling nobody, even worse than Ye Fan himself.
Now, however, an aura of nobility radiated from him—he seemed every inch the paragon of wealth and elegance.
Before Ye Fan could even feel the sting of jealousy, his attention was wholly drawn to the small elixir bottle in Chu Yi's hand.
Some primal instinct told him—this vial was of utmost importance to him.
Anxiety rising in his chest, Ye Fan strode forward.
"Stop! How could you treat such a precious object with such disrespect?"
A thunderous voice rang out, startling the four people present.
A smirk curled on Chu Yi's lips as he tucked the bottle away.
He's finally arrived.
Just as expected, Ye Fan had walked straight into his web.
"Hey, you—what are you doing?"
Seeing Chu Yi put the bottle away, Ye Fan grew anxious.
He stepped up, wanting to confront Chu Yi.
His instincts were screaming—he must obtain that bottle.
Just as he reached Chu Yi and opened his mouth to speak, Da Niu stepped forward, blocking Ye Fan's path with the steadfast presence of a bodyguard.
"You..."
His path was barred, the elixir gone from sight.
Ye Fan, whose mood had just begun to improve, was now completely agitated.
He even started to consider whether he should resort to force.
But before he could act, a familiar voice drifted to his ears.
"You're… Ye Fan?"
Lin Yunhan's tone held a hint of surprise.
They had both studied at the prestigious Magic Capital No. 5 High School.
Lin Yunhan, naturally, knew of Ye Fan.
He had, after all, topped every monthly and final exam back then—ranked first in the entire city.
The media had even dubbed him the "top scorer of the college entrance examination."
One could imagine how brilliant he was.
His academic excellence had left both her and the second-place student far behind.
But later, Ye Fan had become embroiled in a scandal involving a rich girl, and in despair, had dropped out and returned home.
Lin Yunhan had sighed with pity at the time, saddened that such a prodigy had his wings broken before he could truly soar.
Yet now, here he was, right before her eyes—carrying a few practice books in hand.
Was he planning to return to school?
But he had already missed two full years of high school—could he still make it to college?
The thought startled her.
And yet, her one sentence had become a lifeline to Ye Fan—a spark of hope flickered in his heart.
"Lin Yunhan, do you know where Chu Yi got that elixir bottle from?"
Ye Fan's voice was tinged with urgency, desperate for an answer.
"I gave it to him."
"Why? Is something wrong?"
Because Ye Fan had once far outperformed her in academics, Lin Yunhan still held a certain fondness for him.
So she replied, puzzled but sincere.
"That's… that's wonderful!"
"Lin Yunhan, for the sake of our time as classmates, could you give me that elixir bottle?"
Ye Fan's excitement surged; his entire body trembled as he reached out, trying to grasp her hand.
"Hey! You little punk, are you trying to take advantage of my young master's girlfriend?!"
Da Niu's anger flared like a volcano.
Where did this cocky brat come from?
Daring to touch the girlfriend of the heir to the Chu conglomerate?
Was he insane?
He stepped forward again, glaring menacingly at Ye Fan.
"I… I apologize. That was improper of me."
Ye Fan quickly realized his error and apologized repeatedly.
But a flicker of loathing crept into the corner of his eyes as he glanced at Da Niu.
"Lin Yunhan, please…"
"If you give it to me, I swear—I will repay you!"
Ye Fan, now earnest and pleading, looked at her with imploring eyes.
That bottle—he needed it.
"I'm sorry. I cannot."
Her tone turned cold at the unreasonable request.
Fondness was one thing—but that did not grant him the right to act so shamelessly.
Not to mention that Chu Yi had given her fifty thousand without hesitation.
Even aside from that, his timely help had already warranted her gratitude.
"What?!"
"Lin Yunhan, it's just a simple request. Can't you even do that for me?"
"We've known each other for so long—doesn't that bond outweigh a mere bottle of pills?"
Ye Fan was furious, his rage ignited like dry tinder.
He had always believed Lin Yunhan liked him.
Back in school, he had felt the spark between them.
Had it not been for his relationship with that rich girl, he was certain he would've ended up with Lin Yunhan.
So in his mind, this request was all but guaranteed.
He had already envisioned Chu Yi obediently handing over the bottle.
But reality hit hard—Lin Yunhan rejected him outright.
He felt like a clown, a fool—deeply humiliated.
Resentment toward Lin Yunhan began to fester.
"Ye Fan, if you had asked for anything else, I would've helped you."
"After all, we were classmates."
"But not this."
Her voice was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Help me?"
"You're nothing but a gold-digging b*tch."
"Lin Yunhan, I misjudged you. I thought you were a pure lotus blooming above the muck."
"But it turns out, beneath every lotus lies the same filth."
Ye Fan's face burned with rage, his tone venomous.
It wasn't just the rejection that stung—it was the memory of being discarded by that rich girl.
He had grown to detest materialistic women.
"Fine. If that's how you see me, so be it."
Lin Yunhan choked on her tears and crouched down, burying her face in her knees as she sobbed softly.
Chu Yi, watching from the side, was mildly surprised.
This confrontation was supposed to happen much later in the storyline.
In the original script, Ye Fan's fallout with Lin Yunhan had occurred when she got into a rich man's car—a massive misunderstanding.
It turned out that "rich man" was merely her cousin.
A ridiculous plot twist, designed to toy with readers' emotions.
Yet now, the same rift had burst open far earlier.
Perhaps… this was the perfect opportunity.
To sever the bond between Ye Fan and Lin Yunhan forever.
A smirk curled at Chu Yi's lips. He stepped forward.
"I won't let you insult Yunhan."
"There's nothing sordid between us—we're cousins, not some kept couple."
"And that elixir bottle? I bought it for fifty thousand to help my cousin. It's immensely valuable."
"And you? You dare ask for it without offering the slightest compensation. You're nothing but a leech."
"I honestly feel like slapping you. Where do you get your audacity from? Was it gifted by Liang Jingru?"
His words fired like bullets, unrelenting and sharp.
Lin Yunhan, moved by his defense, lifted her face.
"Cousin…" she whispered, touched to the core.
Warmth spread through her heart.
Ye Fan's face twisted with fury.
His mind screamed with a single realization—
Damn you, Chu Yi.
Back when you came to my house, didn't you keep calling her "cousin"?
And yet you dared enter the bathroom with her?
What kind of cousin does that?
When Liu Ruoxin had spilled this to him, Ye Fan had been devastated.
It had taken a long time for him to recover.
Today, he had only come out in a good mood to buy some materials.
But now Chu Yi, once again, made a mockery of him.
Ye Fan snapped, seething.
"Cousins, huh?"
"More like bedmates, if you ask me."
"Lin Yunhan, I know your background. Since when did you have such a wealthy cousin?"
His words were sharp, harsh, and cutting.
But to Chu Yi, they were music.
Each syllable a sweet symphony of victory.
A familiar voice echoed in Chu Yi's mind.
Ding! Due to the host's intervention, Ye Fan and Lin Yunhan's relationship has been effectively severed.
Congratulations, Host. You have altered the course of the narrative and completed Mission One: The Schemer.
Reward unlocked: Dominating Presence.
Skill Effect: During conversations, the host may exude the aura of a superior, intimidating others instinctively.
Cooldown: 12 hours.
It was done. The storyline between Ye Fan and Lin Yunhan—irreparably broken.
As the voice faded from his mind, Chu Yi's eyes gleamed with delight.
Ye Fan, sensing the change in Chu Yi's expression, realized something was terribly wrong.
He'd been played.
Thoroughly ensnared in Chu Yi's scheme.
His gaze darted to Lin Yunhan.
Sure enough, she now looked at him as if he were a complete stranger.
Her dark eyes held not a trace of emotion.
Ye Fan's heart clenched instinctively.
Fury surged in his chest like a roaring fire.
"Chu Yi…"
His mind screamed with rage.