"Well then, since both the class monitor and my deskmate have spoken on your behalf…"
"I shall let it go—for now."
Chu Yi offered a faint, enigmatic smile.
Yet in his mind, a mechanical voice resounded:
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. A rift has formed between Li Linhai and Ye Fan. You have successfully altered the trajectory of the original storyline."
"You have gained 1,000 villain points and 10 destiny points."
"Thank you, Zhang Ting,"
Li Linhai offered a perfunctory word of gratitude before turning to leave.
Only he knew the true depth of the humiliation and suffocating bitterness festering within him.
Seeing this, Ye Fan closed his book and followed him out.
Out in the corridor, he caught up to Li Linhai and began to explain himself earnestly.
"Linhai, listen to me. It's not that I refused to speak up for you—it's just that you understand the situation. If I had stepped in, the outcome would have been just as bad, if not worse."
"So you simply stood by in silence?"
"Don't think I don't know," Li Linhai snapped, his face flushed with rage. "You acted that way because of Xia Yuehan, didn't you?"
His words struck Ye Fan silent.
"Just wait. By noon today, I will avenge you. I swear, I'll make Chu Yi kneel and apologize to you."
Ye Fan raised his head, eyes burning with determination. His voice carried conviction, and Li Linhai—perhaps influenced by Ye Fan's charisma or simply by the aura of fate—chose to believe him.
"Boss, I apologize for how I acted earlier. I was in the wrong."
Now that the air had cleared, Li Linhai attempted to mend their fractured bond.
"It's fine," Ye Fan replied. "I can't deny I also share some of the blame—I should've stood up earlier."
——
By the classroom window, Chu Yi quietly observed the scene unfolding outside.
He sneered.
Make me kneel?
Ye Fan, you're overreaching.
Let's see exactly what you're capable of.
But before that—let's see how well you handle my next move.
With that, Chu Yi left the classroom.
He'd had enough of watching Ye Fan sit beside Xia Yuehan. It irked him.
Removing Ye Fan from that seat?
Simple. Use the rules against him.
He soon arrived outside an office bearing the sign: Director.
Inside was a middle-aged man—Liu Changtian—currently engaged in vigorous intimacy with a woman in her thirties. The room was thick with sensual energy.
It looked like they'd be preoccupied for another twenty minutes.
But Chu Yi had no intention of waiting.
He lifted his foot and delivered a brutal kick to the door.
The door flung open violently, barely hanging on its hinges.
Inside, the shocked couple froze mid-act.
"You filthy little bastard! Who dares—"
The crash had startled Liu Changtian to his core. He now worried if he'd ever be able to perform again.
"If you insult me one more time," Chu Yi interrupted coldly, "I swear I'll have you sunk in the river tonight."
Liu's vulgarities halted.
"You think you're someone special?" he grumbled, furious at the interruption.
But when he looked up and recognized the intruder, terror washed over him. His body trembled.
Two words escaped his mouth, quivering:
"Young Master Chu…"
Ever since leaving Xu Qian's office that day, Liu Changtian had done a deep dive into Chu Yi's background—and what he discovered had shaken him to the core.
Of course, Chu Yi had intended for him to find just a glimpse of his true identity. Without that deliberate breadcrumb, Liu could've searched to the ends of the earth and still uncovered nothing.
"One minute," Chu Yi said coolly, turning away. "You have one minute to get dressed and present yourself properly before me."
Startled, Liu Changtian shoved the woman off him.
"Out. Don't get in my way."
He hastily dressed himself and, with a forced smile, approached Chu Yi.
"Young Master Chu, please have a seat. What a surprise to see you—what wind blew you in?"
"I don't have time for pleasantries," Chu Yi replied. "I'm here to give you a task."
"In a moment, go to Class 3-A."
"You know Ye Fan, don't you? Find some excuse—any excuse—to change his seat. Preferably to the most despicable spot you can think of."
A satisfied grin crept across Chu Yi's face, already imagining the look of disgrace on Ye Fan's face.
Liu Changtian, however, seemed troubled.
"But Young Master Chu… what if Ye Fan refuses? What then?"
He'd had run-ins with Ye Fan before—and come out the worse for it each time. Now he was wary.
"Are you stupid?" Chu Yi snapped. "By all rights, Ye Fan should've been expelled a year ago when he dropped out. The only reason he's still here is because you've been covering for him."
The irritation in Chu Yi's voice was evident.
He had dirt on Ye Fan—why not make use of it?
As expected—anyone close to the protagonist becomes increasingly brainless.
"You're right," Liu Changtian muttered. "I can use that as leverage against him. Thank you for the reminder, Young Master Chu."
Chu Yi gave a curt nod.
——
Meanwhile, in Xu Qian's office, the woman herself sat in contemplation, staring at a cup of herbal concoction on her desk.
To drink, or not to drink?
She recalled vividly what the doctor had said when she picked up the prescription—
He had practiced medicine for over thirty years and had never seen such a formula.
When handing over the herbs, he had warned her solemnly:
If there's no effect, don't even think about making this into a decoction.
Naturally, this left Xu Qian deeply skeptical of Chu Yi.
Just as she was about to pour it out, a memory flashed in her mind:
Chu Yi's focused expression as he penned the prescription.
Forget it.
She sighed lightly and drank it in one gulp.
Returning to her work, she thought little more of it—until she visited the restroom.
There, she discovered to her astonishment that her symptoms had indeed lessened.
Could it be… he was right?
She remembered his words about acupuncture being necessary for a full recovery.
But… he's my student.
The thought alone made her heart flutter.
Her face flushed with a delicate blush as she struggled to suppress the strange feelings that had begun to stir.
——
Back in the classroom, Chu Yi returned just as Ye Fan finished smoothing things over with Li Linhai.
There was still a hint of joy on Ye Fan's face, as if the conversation had gone unexpectedly well.
Xia Yuehan, sitting beside him, looked on with a complicated expression in her eyes.