Chapter 73

At 2:10 p.m., three men stealthily made their way onto the villa grounds.

“Stealthily” might be a misnomer—they practically walked in, ready to cause trouble.

The Chen family’s villa didn’t have many guards, but a few were stationed here and there. The security at the front gate were easily taken out. A butler and Zhu Yeqing stood by the door, watching as Ye Aotian approached.

It was clear that Ye Aotian planned to take these two on himself.

The butler asked, “Miss Zhu Yeqing, should we cooperate?”

“My priority is to protect the young master. He’s here to rescue someone, but I’m concerned he might harm the young master.”

The butler nodded and stepped back.

Ye Aotian locked eyes with Zhu Yeqing. They exchanged no words, and he immediately launched his attack.

Zhu Yeqing responded with a slap to Ye Aotian’s face, sending him reeling. Before he could recover, she kicked him, launching him backward.

The impact made Ye Aotian question his own training. Am I actually a martial artist, or what?

Inside, Chen Fan leisurely wrote in his journal:

[Seems Zhu Yeqing might have to go easy on him. I’m supposed to get beaten up by Ye Aotian. Ugh, I wonder if he’ll go all out on me, making it look really bad.]

[Even though it won’t hurt, I should at least pretend to plead or something, give off that “beaten dog” vibe.]

[Zhu Yeqing, don’t disappoint me. You can’t blow your cover as the spy here …]

Just as he was halfway through writing, the door burst open. A massive figure stood in the doorway—a man like a bear.

Chen Fan looked up in confusion.

What’s this? Why is Da Xiong here?

Ye Aotian had two close friends, twin brothers from the Nie family, an ancient martial arts family. These two, with their formidable Tongbei martial arts, could fight with unparalleled ferocity.

Da Xiong, in particular, had natural strength; a single punch could reportedly kill a bull.

This was pure power disparity. But he shouldn’t be here today—this was supposed to be the protagonist’s solo mission to storm the villain’s lair. So what’s going on?

“A lot of people hate you, and my brother hates you even more. And you kidnapped my brother’s woman. I’m going to kill you.”

Is this guy serious? I’m supposed to be beaten by the protagonist, not by you.

But Da Xiong wasn’t kidding. He rushed forward and smashed his enormous fist into Chen Fan’s face.

“Aaaaah!”

Da Xiong held his fist, staring at Chen Fan in disbelief.

How is this possible? What’s going on? It’s like I punched a steel wall.

In a blink, Chen Fan appeared behind Da Xiong.

“Not sure why the plot’s off, but for characters like you, it’s better not to show off. Killing you won’t affect the storyline.”

What’s he talking about?

Before Da Xiong could react, he glanced down and saw his arm lying on the floor. Then, without even a chance to scream, Chen Fan snapped his neck.

Dammit, what’s wrong with this guy? I’m supposed to be in a showdown with the protagonist, not fighting some lackey. Besides, if you show up and actually manage to kill me, what’s left for the protagonist to level up with?

At that moment, the butler walked in, looking at Da Xiong’s lifeless body on the floor. “Young master, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Someone took care of it. How’s Zhu Yeqing doing?”

“They’re tangled up in a fight.”

At the door, Er Xiong, who had just arrived, stared in disbelief at the scene before him.

My brother is dead?

“Chen Fan, I’m going to kill you!”

The butler engaged Er Xiong, and Chen Fan sat back, crossing his legs.

Fight all you want. I’m still destined to be humiliated by the protagonist in the end.

Outside, Ye Aotian lay on the ground, bleeding all over, feeling that Zhu Yeqing truly intended to kill him.

And how is this woman so powerful?

It was inhuman; her strength and speed were leagues above his own.

***

“Stop it, big sister, if you keep hitting me, I’m going to die!”

Ye Aotian, lying on the ground, was a sorry sight, with a bruised face and covered in scars. Upon closer inspection, there were even knife wounds on his body. Clearly, Zhu Yeqing had shown no mercy, not intending to stop at all.

Zhu Yeqing’s simple plan was to beat this man to death. However, would it really be okay to kill him?

Just as Zhu Yeqing was pondering whether to stop, her phone rang. She glanced at Ye Aotian on the ground, gave him a look, and walked away.

Ye Aotian struggled to his feet, slowly making his way into the villa. It hurt—every bone in his body felt like it was about to crack. He felt he might not hold on much longer.

Yet, recalling what Zhu Yeqing had told him before, he felt a sense of relief. Zhu Yeqing had mentioned she wouldn’t hold back, which meant that he had to go through with the full act. This strengthened Ye Aotian’s resolve to cooperate with Zhu Yeqing. She didn’t belong to his side, nor did she belong to Chen Fan’s. She simply sought revenge.

Thus, Ye Aotian did not resent Zhu Yeqing. He only hated himself for failing to withstand her in her presence.

Actually, Chen Fan approached Zhu Yeqing purely out of concern for the butler, who seemed unable to handle this second bear of a man. After all, this man was somewhat skilled, and the butler was aging and had limited talent. It was understandable that he couldn’t match the man in front of him. Though Chen Fan could have easily killed him, showcasing his abilities in front of the butler wouldn’t be ideal; there’d be no way to explain it later.

The butler struggled to resist, but with Zhu Yeqing’s entry into the fray, the battle reached a stalemate. However, because his elder brother was dead, the second brother fought fiercely, making it impossible to determine a winner for the moment.

Meanwhile, Ye Aotian opened Lin Qingyue’s room door and stepped inside, wounded all over like a war god. He gazed at his beloved woman before him. If Chen Fan saw this scene, he’d surely want to say, “If this were a romance, you’d marry him already.”

But as Ye Aotian looked at the scene before him, he was still shocked. “How could this be? What on earth happened? Why, Lin Qingyue, are your socks torn apart? This isn’t right, how could this be?”

Furthermore, what’s with that bit of tear residue in your eyes? And those scattered books around, and the marks on the table?

“Aaaahhh! Chen Fan, I’m going to kill you!”

Lin Qingyue raised her head and looked at Ye Aotian, saying, “Why did you come?”

“I knew you were kidnapped, so I came to save you. Don’t worry, I’m here; everything will be fine.”

“I don’t need you to save me. I came of my own free will. You don’t understand, so please leave. I’m perfectly fine here.”

Ha, fine, Ye Aotian thought, yawning, wondering why she would voluntarily return those documents to him. Turns out, she was still afraid of the Chen family. Damn Chen Fan, how dare he make the woman I love suffer like this. I want you dead! I want you dead!

In Ye Aotian’s mind, they must have gone through some ordeal together. But he, the main character, facing the female lead, no matter how gravely she was hurt, would always accept her. He understood how much he liked Lin Qingyue; she was his woman.