No, I didn’t! I never even touched that woman!
He Shen crouched on the floor, clutching his head in anguish. Why? Why couldn’t he ever get away from her?!
Watching him struggle without managing a single word in his own defense, Qin Yu felt a pang of sympathy. An honest man, minding his own business, had been driven step by step into a corner by nothing more than a woman’s words. How pitiful.
“Are you all right?”
He approached to offer some comfort to this fellow sufferer, but He Shen recoiled from his touch and stared at him warily.
A little embarrassed, Qin Yu withdrew his hand.
“Senior Brother He, I believe you. I believe you wouldn’t do something so vile.”
The atmosphere changed the moment he spoke.
No one understood why Qin Yu was defending an outsider instead of supporting his own fiancée.
Naturally, Liu Wanrou was even more astonished than the rest of them.
Sheltered behind Jiang Fu, she made no attempt to hide her anger and bewilderment. What was wrong with Qin Yu? Wasn’t he in love with her, willing to do anything for her?
Why was he opposing her now?
Jiang Fu demanded coldly, “Qin Yu, what exactly do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said.”
If Liu Wanrou was the mastermind behind framing He Shen, then Jiang Fu was her accomplice. Qin Yu had no patience for him.
“He didn’t do it. What gives you the right to declare him guilty with just a few words?”
“A-Yu, don’t you believe me?”
Liu Wanrou stepped forward, looking at Qin Yu with wounded eyes that seemed to hold endless grievances.
“What reason have you given me to believe you?”
Qin Yu threw the question back at her.
There it was again—that pitiful act. The sight made him grind his teeth.
“Does this woman still think I’m that cannon-fodder simp from before? If Jiang Fu weren’t here, I’d march over and slap her twice!”
【Host, you want to hit a woman?】
“…Can’t I even vent? Whose side are you on?!”
Having the system undermine him only made Qin Yu more frustrated.
At his question, Liu Wanrou’s face turned even paler. She swayed back a step, looking utterly disbelieving.
“A-Yu, I… I can explain. I wasn’t trying to seduce anyone. I didn’t… Hic… If you despise me, I… I won’t bother you again.”
Her words sounded heartfelt and sincere, as though she were devastated beyond hope, yet still offering one final tenderness before letting him go. Everyone present was moved, and they began reproaching Qin Yu.
“Qin Yu, Junior Sister Wanrou didn’t know He Shen was such a pervert either. She let her guard down for a moment. Surely you can understand!”
“He only touched her. If you reject Junior Sister Wanrou over something so trivial, you’re the one in the wrong!”
“Someone like Qin Yu doesn’t deserve Junior Sister Wanrou! You should just break off the engagement, Junior Sister. There are plenty of good men out there!”
Clap, clap, clap—
Qin Yu was so furious he laughed, applauding right in front of everyone.
“Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.”
Tang Si thought he had been driven mad with anger and felt even guiltier. Personally, he was on He Shen’s side, which was why he had remained silent while Qin Yu defended him. But he did not want Qin Yu to lose his future wife over this.
“Junior Brother Qin, there’s no need. You really don’t have to fall out with your fiancée over this.”
“No. There’s every need.”
Qin Yu’s icy gaze settled squarely on Liu Wanrou’s face.
“I’d really like to know how I acquired a fiancée in the space of a single day and night. Would the other party involved kindly step forward and explain?”
Liu Wanrou: “…”
Had Qin Yu gone mad?
Allowing him to call himself her fiancé was already an enormous favor. How could he still be dissatisfied?
“Well… I don’t know either. Somehow, everyone just seemed to assume…”
“Don’t tell me you don’t know!”
More vague excuses to dodge responsibility. Qin Yu cut her off impatiently.
“If you didn’t know, why did you say all those suggestive things as though you were my fiancée? You made me sound like some scumbag!”
“I…”
Liu Wanrou’s life had always gone smoothly. Everyone around her doted on and adored her. This was the first time anyone had openly confronted her in front of a crowd. In a fluster, she fainted before she could think of anything else.
“Wanrou!”
Jiang Fu scooped her into his arms and carried her away. As he passed Qin Yu, he shot him a vicious glare and warned in a voice only the two of them could hear:
“If anything happens to Wanrou, I won’t let you off.”
“I had no idea Young Master Jiang enjoyed being the other man. That’s quite a taste you have.”
Qin Yu retorted without the slightest fear.
He used to think this male lead merely stopped at nothing to become stronger. Now it seemed he was simply selfish, stupid, and an utter bastard!
With the pair gone, the crowd began preparing to disperse.
But Qin Yu had not forgotten his temporary mission.
“Don’t leave yet. We still haven’t settled Senior Brother He’s case!”
As he spoke, he took a mirror from his spatial ring. This was no ordinary looking glass. Its frame bore intricate carvings, and five shimmering, multicolored gemstones were set into its back.
As an artifact refiner, Tang Si had a particularly keen eye for treasures.
“That’s the Dustgazing Mirror! They say it can reveal anything that has ever happened at a particular place. It’s an exceptionally rare immortal artifact. How did you get something like that?”
“Master gave it to me when I became his disciple yesterday.”
He understood that simply possessing a treasure could invite disaster. Better to attribute all these things to Immortal Lord Yazheng. That way, anyone plotting against him would have to think twice.
Qin Yu approached He Shen.
“Senior Brother He, do you dare let everyone see what really happened?”
“I do.”
An image of the dining hall soon appeared in the Dustgazing Mirror.
In it, Liu Wanrou and Jiang Fu were eating together. He Shen passed nearby and accidentally tripped. As he got up, he came close to Liu Wanrou, but never touched her anywhere inappropriate. Yet Liu Wanrou suddenly screamed, and Jiang Fu attacked him without a word.
Everyone already knew what had happened after that.
Now they finally understood: Liu Wanrou had played them all.
Seeing the truth, Tang Si was furious.
“Fuck! They’ve barely joined the sect, and they already dare bully a disciple of our Yaoyun Peak?! He Shen, we’re going straight to the sect master!”
Tang Si dragged He Shen off to find the sect master, bristling with anger.
Qin Yu followed them out.
【Congratulations on completing today’s side mission. Reward: 500 points.】
【Ding! Congratulations on clearing He Shen’s name. Reward: 500 points.】
【Host’s current points: -2000.】
“System, level with me. What’s the real reason you brought me into this world?”
The more he considered his recent missions, the more something felt wrong. If the goal was simply to remove Jiang Fu from his position as the male lead, what purpose did these two missions serve? And if the system merely wanted to help him earn more points, what had its earlier friendly reminder been hinting at?
【What real reason? Isn’t this simply a transaction we both willingly agreed to?】
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