Chapter 45: Chapter 44: Does That Include Me?

“Yuchen, you’re overthinking it! You haven’t wronged me; you just made a wise choice. If standing by me made you a public target, then I would be the one to feel sorry for you, haha…!”

With a slight smile, Qin Fan looked at the dream goddess he had admired in his past life and smiled confidently.

But no matter how much he had secretly admired her in his previous life, in this one, Qin Fan had no intention of getting emotionally entangled with any woman other than Jiang Yino. He knew that if he just showed a bit more enthusiasm toward Ji Yuchen, one of the four great beauties of Qi Middle School, she would undoubtedly fall for him.

This wasn’t arrogance. In this life, he was no longer that pathetic loser but the Shura Venerable, a man who had lived for five hundred years. He recalled how many of the most prideful and talented women of the Cangqiong Continent had been caught in the web of his charm. How could a simple, mortal girl like Ji Yuchen possibly resist the charisma he had cultivated over centuries?

“Qin Fan, I know you hate everyone in Class 7, and you hate everyone at Qi Middle School!” Ji Yuchen said, biting her pink lip, her voice delicate.

But before she could finish, Qin Fan immediately interrupted her. “No. Hate? Not at all. They aren’t worthy of my hatred. They don’t have the qualifications to make me hate them!”

Undeniably, in his previous life, Qin Fan had despised everyone in Class 7 and the rest of Qi Middle School. But now? Would an elephant bother to hate the ants beneath its feet?

What a joke.

“Including me?” Ji Yuchen asked, catching Qin Fan completely off guard.

He paused for a moment before a wry smile crossed his face. He finally understood that a woman’s logic was something a man could never hope to unravel. Shaking his head, he chuckled lightly. “Not you. Weren’t you just thinking about how to stand up for me?”

“That’s great! Then let me treat you to a meal. Not outside, but right here at Qi Middle School, in the restaurant! I want everyone to see that I, Ji Yuchen, am friends with you, Qin Fan. Okay?” Lifting her bright, watery eyes, Ji Yuchen’s tone was almost pleading. It was clear she was looking for a way to atone for the guilt that had been weighing on her.

Qin Fan didn’t answer right away, pausing for a moment. As Ji Yuchen waited in anxious anticipation, he finally let out a helpless sigh. “Alright then.”

“I knew you wouldn’t refuse me! Let’s go now!” Receiving Qin Fan’s agreement, Ji Yuchen let out a heavy sigh of relief, her voice filled with newfound joy.

“Okay, let’s go then.” Qin Fan rose from his seat, took a large stride forward, and habitually slid his hands into his pants pockets. He subconsciously took the lead, an air of masculine confidence about him.

Behind him, Ji Yuchen watched his back. They had been classmates for over two years, yet the figure before her now seemed like a complete stranger. Her eyes were filled with a mix of confusion and complex emotions.

That nonchalance, that confidence, that underlying untamed pride… Is this still the same timid Qin Fan? What on earth did he go through? How did he change so drastically in such a short amount of time?

As she followed behind him, a thousand different feelings washed over Ji Yuchen.

Qi Middle School had both a cafeteria and a restaurant. However, only a few percent of the student body would ever bother going to the so-called cafeteria on any given day. Most students came from extraordinary backgrounds. They were either rich or noble, and with a restaurant available, why would any of them lower their status by eating in the cafeteria?

The restaurant was buzzing with activity. When Qin Fan stepped inside, countless eyes immediately turned toward him. Several hours had passed, and the news of the Qin family outcast’s impressive deeds upon his return to school had already spread far and wide.

“Qin Fan, you’re pretty badass, huh! You even took down Wang Zijun. Tsk, tsk, not bad. You’ve got guts!” a student said as he walked up to Qin Fan. He gave him a thumbs-up, but his tone was dripping with sarcasm and mockery.

The son of a mere district committee secretary really didn’t amount to much at Qi Middle School. The fact that Qin Fan had dealt with him was surprising at most. Outside of Class 7 and the direct witnesses, most people didn’t think much of it.

“Wen Dongyou, what’s that supposed to mean!”

While Qin Fan could have just smiled and ignored the jibe, Ji Yuchen couldn’t hold back. The floodgates of her conscience had been closed before, but now that they were open, her protective instincts surged forward. She had just been lamenting her failure to stand up for Qin Fan, and now he was being ridiculed again. If she still did nothing, it would be a blatant slap in her own face. She couldn’t bear that shame!

“Oh, if it isn’t the sister-in-law! Come, come, this way, please!” As soon as he turned and saw it was Ji Yuchen, Wen Dongyou’s expression immediately changed to a fawning smile. He made a gesture of invitation, chuckling obsequiously.

“Don’t call me that! I’m not your sister-in-law!” Ji Yuchen blushed at the term. As she snapped back, she didn’t even realize why she subconsciously glanced over at Qin Fan.

“Yes, yes, of course. I won’t call you that… for now! Ahem, Goddess, this way, please!” Wen Dongyou said, bowing slightly as he continued to grovel without any sense of shame.

“It’s good that you know your place. And let me tell you, Qin Fan is my friend. If any of you bully him again, you’ll be disrespecting me!” Ji Yuchen huffed petulantly.

After shooting Wen Dongyou one last glare, she walked to Qin Fan’s side. “Qin Fan,” she said with a gentle smile, “let’s go to the second floor.”

Casting a playful glance at the group of young masters led by Wen Dongyou, Qin Fan secretly shook his head with a sigh. “Fine, whatever you want,” he nodded.

As they watched Qin Fan and Ji Yuchen’s figures disappear up the staircase, Wen Dongyou and his crew of young masters stood there, completely dumbstruck.

What the—? Qin Fan hooked up with Goddess Ji? How is that possible? Friends? Is Qin Fan even worthy of being Goddess Ji’s friend?

It was true that Ji Yuchen’s family background was ordinary by Qi Middle School’s standards. However, she was the goddess whom the son of the municipal party secretary had his eye on, a figure who was considered off-limits by those in the know. Even if their relationship hadn’t reached that stage yet, could it be far off? Because of this, nearly half of the so-called young masters at Qi Middle School treated Ji Yuchen with immense respect. Annoying Goddess Ji was no different from annoying Young Master He.

“Young Master Wen, did you see the look and the smile Goddess Ji gave Qin Fan just now? Do you think they have something going on?” one student whispered, covering his mouth as he leaned close to Wen Dongyou’s ear.

His only response was a sharp slap across the face from Wen Dongyou.

“If Young Master He hears you say that, he’ll kick your balls until they burst in public! Qin Fan? That coward, that loser… is that even possible? It’s not like our sister-in-law is blind in both heart and mind. Besides, does that pathetic wimp even have the guts? I think she just feels sorry for him and is tossing him a scrap of food!” Wen Dongyou rattled off, blinking rapidly.

But even as he said it, he felt something wasn’t quite right.

That look and smile Goddess Ji gave that loser… was it really just pity and charity? Even I don’t find that convincing.

“Young Master Wen, we should probably inform Young Master He,” the sycophantic student said, rubbing his cheek as if he were used to the abuse. “If he finds out later and blames us for not telling him, we’ll be in big trouble!”

“You’re right. Let’s inform Young Master He.” Wen Dongyou nodded, pursing his lips as he pulled out his phone.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep