Chapter 8: I'm the Only One Seriously Playing the Villain, Are You All Just Acting Against Me?
Sheng Lan Academy, Senior Year, Class 1.
When Lu Shixuan returned to his seat, his right hand was trembling slightly.
That one-handed catch just now was incredibly cool, but it had been a full-force strike from an enraged Ye Chen, and the power behind it was staggering.
His palm was now red and swollen, burning with a searing pain as if he were holding a red-hot branding iron.
But he couldn't show it.
He was a wicked young master, a villain—how could he cry out in pain just from catching a ball?
That would be too beneath him.
Lu Shixuan shoved his right hand into his pants pocket and casually twirled a pen with his left. His face still wore that punchable expression, as if the person who had just saved someone wasn't him, but some passing Superman.
Hiss... it hurts like hell.
Was this Ye Chen raised on cattle feed?
He's got so much strength.
I hope my metacarpals aren't cracked.
If my hand is ruined, how am I supposed to drive a yacht in the Maldives?
This was a huge loss. If I'd known, I wouldn't have tried to act so cool. Letting Chu Yaoyao get hit would have just meant disfigurement, and plastic surgery is so advanced these days; a trip to Korea would have fixed her right up, wouldn't it?
Sigh, mostly it's because there was dust on that ball; getting hit in the face could easily lead to an infection.
Chu Yaoyao has such fair skin; it would be a shame to leave a scar.
Whatever, This Young Master is thick-skinned and tough; I'll just consider it a good deed to build up some merit.
Sitting next to him, Chu Yaoyao's body was slightly stiff.
She kept her head down, pretending to organize her textbooks, but behind her lenses, her eyes were clouded with a layer of mist.
He's clearly in dying pain, yet he's still worried I'll be disfigured?
He clearly got hurt to save me, yet in his heart, he still uses talk like 'going to Korea for plastic surgery' to hide his kindness?
Lu Shixuan, just how long are you going to use this malicious mask to disguise yourself?
Just then, a commotion broke out at the classroom door.
Supported by two lackeys, Ye Chen walked in with a limp.
His right ankle was wrapped in thick bandages, and his face wore an expression of pained but stoic endurance—the very image of a resilient little white flower after being bullied by a tyrant.
"Young Master Ye, slow down."
"That Lu Shixuan is too sinister, actually tripping people underhandedly."
The surrounding students whispered. Although everyone had been laughing earlier, Ye Chen was injured after all, while Lu Shixuan was unscathed. The tide of public opinion always tends to favor the weak.
Ye Chen sat back in his seat, his eyes staring gloomily at the back of Lu Shixuan's head.
He had just gone to the infirmary, and the school doctor said it was only a minor sprain, but he insisted on having the doctor wrap it up as if it were a comminuted fracture.
Since I didn't win on the court, I'll kill you from the moral high ground!
"Young Master Lu," Ye Chen suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but just enough for the whole class to hear. "I don't blame you for what happened on the court. I know you didn't want to lose, so that's why... as long as you don't target Student Chu in the future, I, Ye Chen, will endure the grudge of this kick."
What a move, retreating to advance!
In an instant, he painted Lu Shixuan as a petty man who 'would use any means to win,' while he was the 'magnanimous' victim.
The eyes of the whole class instantly focused on Lu Shixuan.
Lu Shixuan raised an eyebrow.
Oh ho?
Playing the 'Green Tea' act with me?
He glanced at the system panel.
Current Task: In the face of Ye Chen's slander, show extreme arrogance and disdain to cement your infamy for 'court violence.'
Reward: Top-tier Bruise Ointment x1, villain points +100.
Suits me perfectly!
Lu Shixuan slapped his pen onto the desk, turned around, crossed his legs, and looked at Ye Chen as if he were looking at trash.
"Endure? Who asked you to endure?"
Lu Shixuan sneered, his tone arrogant to the extreme. "This Young Master just doesn't like the sight of you and wanted to trip you, so what? If you're not happy about it, stand up and hit me right now! Oh, I forgot, you're a cripple who can't even stand steady."
"You!" Ye Chen's face flushed with anger. "Lu Shixuan, we're all classmates, do you have to be so excessive?"
"Excessive?" Lu Shixuan stood up, walked over to Ye Chen, and patted his face condescendingly. "In this school, This Young Master is the law. I'll trip whoever I want and bully whoever I want. If you can't handle it, then crawl back to your slums!"
The whole class was in an uproar.
Too wild!
Simply lawless!
Ye Chen was ecstatic in his heart.
Yes!
Just like that!
Keep being wild!
Make everyone hate you!
However, just as Lu Shixuan was preparing to drop a few more harsh lines and finish up, that familiar inner voice rang out again:
This idiot doesn't even do the whole act.
I saw it all in the infirmary earlier; he gave the school doctor five hundred yuan to wrap the bandages thicker.
That ankle wasn't even red; what's he pretending to be a cripple for?
On the other hand, my hand is now swollen like a pig's trotter.
Can that ointment from the system arrive any faster?
If I don't apply medicine soon, this hand really will be ruined.
Sigh, to cooperate with this kid's performance, I even have to destroy my own image.
I'm not a villain; I'm practically an Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award winner.
Ye Chen, oh Ye Chen, what are you going to use to pay me back for what you owe?
Chu Yaoyao suddenly stood up.
The chair made a harsh scraping sound against the floor.
The whole class was startled, and Lu Shixuan was also stunned, turning back to look at this cheap deskmate of his.
What is this girl doing?
Scared silly by my dominance?
Or does she want to stand up for Ye Chen?
Come on!
Scold me!
As long as you scold me, I can logically bully you and then get expelled from school!
Chu Yaoyao didn't speak.
She directly ignored the surprised looks of everyone and strode to the hygiene corner next to the podium, picking up an ice pack used for cooling down students with fevers.
Then, she walked straight up to Lu Shixuan.
"Give me your hand."
Her voice was cold, yet carried an unquestionable firmness.
Lu Shixuan was bewildered. "What? Are my hands something you can just touch?"
"I said, give me your hand." Chu Yaoyao took a step forward, her aura actually a few points stronger than Lu Shixuan's.
Before Lu Shixuan could react, Chu Yaoyao directly grabbed his right hand from his pocket and forcibly pulled it out.
In that instant, the whole class sucked in a breath of cold air.
Lu Shixuan's right palm was bright red, and the base of his fingers was swollen high, even turning a bit purple.
How was this 'fine'?
He was clearly seriously injured!
And under such intense pain, he had actually kept his hand in his pocket and acted as if nothing were wrong, even playing along with Ye Chen's act?
When Ye Chen saw that hand, his face instantly turned pale.
He naturally knew how much power was in that ball. If it had hit Chu Yaoyao's face... "Hiss—" Lu Shixuan grimaced in pain, subconsciously trying to pull his hand back. "Are you crazy? You're hurting This Young Master!"
Chu Yaoyao gripped his wrist tightly, not letting him move.
She gently applied the ice pack to his swollen palm, her movements as tender as if she were handling a rare treasure.
"If it hurts, cry out," Chu Yaoyao said with her head down, her voice trembling slightly. "No one will laugh at you."
Lu Shixuan looked at the submissive girl before him, and ten thousand 'grass mud horses' galloped through his heart.
Wait... the plot has collapsed!
You should be giving me a slap and calling me cold-blooded and heartless!
What are you doing?
Applying an ice pack to me in public?
Where am I supposed to put my face as a wicked young master?
But... this ice pack feels really good.
Even though this girl's hands are cool, her heart is quite warm.
Forget it, for the sake of her being so sensible, I'll reluctantly let her serve me for a bit.
System, this doesn't count as me breaking character, right?
It's passive!
I'm being passive!
Although Lu Shixuan was ranting wildly in his head, his body honestly stopped struggling.
He snorted coldly and looked away. "Mind your own business! This hand was bitten by a mosquito; it has nothing to do with that ball!"
"Yes, it was a mosquito bite," Chu Yaoyao said, following his lead, though a gentle curve appeared at the corner of her mouth. "This mosquito was quite big and even knew how to play basketball."
The classmates looked at Ye Chen's somewhat affected bandaged foot, then at Lu Shixuan's startlingly red and swollen right hand.
The looks in many people's eyes changed.
"So Young Master Lu got injured to save Chu Yaoyao..."
"And he didn't make a sound, even deliberately provoking Ye Chen—was it because he didn't want Chu Yaoyao to feel guilty?"
"Heavens, what kind of unparalleled good man is this? A domineering CEO coming to life?"
The tide of public opinion began to turn in a bizarre direction.
Sitting in his seat, Ye Chen listened to the discussions around him and watched Chu Yaoyao's movements, which were so gentle they could melt water; he was so angry his lungs were about to burst.
He was the protagonist!
He was the Child of Destiny who should be the center of attention!
Why did he now look like a jumping clown, while that malicious villain had become the deep-loving male lead?
"Student Chu," Ye Chen couldn't help but speak, his tone sour. "Young Master Lu is thick-skinned; this little injury won't matter. On the other hand, my foot..."
Chu Yaoyao didn't even turn her head, coldly dropping a sentence:
"If your foot is broken, go get it amputated. Don't whimper here; it's annoying."
Ye Chen: "..."
Lu Shixuan: "..."
Holy crap?
Aren't these lines supposed to be mine?
How is this Chu Yaoyao acting more like a villain than me?
Just who is the bully in this school!
It's over; my intimidation factor in the class is completely gone now.
Why are the looks these people are giving me so full of... affection?
Lu Shixuan felt a chill.
He abruptly pulled his hand back and tossed the ice pack onto the desk.
"Enough! Stop being so hypocritical! It makes This Young Master sick!"
To salvage some dignity, Lu Shixuan decided to bring out his trump card.
He pointed at Chu Yaoyao and said fiercely, "As punishment, you're not allowed to listen to this class! Go buy me a bottle of Coke! It has to be cold! If it's room temperature, I'll splash it on your face!"
This was blatant bullying!
Making a new student skip class to run errands!
Now surely someone will stand up and condemn me, right?
However.
Chu Yaoyao pushed up her glasses and, without a word, grabbed her wallet and headed out.
At the door, she suddenly turned back and gave Lu Shixuan a brilliant smile.
"Alright, Young Master Lu. Besides the Coke, do you want anything else? That Wagyu Sandwich earlier was quite good; should I bring you another one?"
Lu Shixuan: "..."
The whole class: "Ooooooh~~~~~"
A wave of cheering almost blew the roof off.
Lu Shixuan collapsed onto the desk in despair, burying his head in his arms.
Just destroy it all; I'm tired.
How is this bullying?
I'm clearly being handled!
System, I want to go home; I miss my mom's braised pork... oh wait, I want to go to the Maldives and grow old alone.
Seeing Lu Shixuan's 'nothing left to live for' look, the resentment in Ye Chen's eyes almost overflowed.
He took out his domestic smartphone and quietly sent a text message under the desk.
"Plan moved up. Tonight after school, I want Lu Shixuan's reputation ruined."
Since I can't deal with you in school, I'll use outside forces.
Lu Shixuan, tonight is your end!