Chapter 16 : Clashing Intentions

Arriving at the narrow alley between the buildings, Chen Fan and Su Ming stopped. After ensuring no one else was around, Su Ming turned to face Chen Fan, his expression openly hostile.

[Phew, it's fine. He'll just punch me lightly—it won't hurt too much.] Despite his outward aggression, Su Ming had already resigned himself to his impending fate.

[Thank goodness my role doesn't involve any bloody scenes—just humiliation.]

[Soon, Feng Yanyan will come looking for us, worried because we've been gone too long. She'll catch sight of Chen Fan's dominating presence as he scares me off, and in that instant, her heart will be struck by Cupid's arrow. Truly, such an easy girl to predict.]

"Boy, stay away from Xueying," Su Ming said bluntly, skipping any pleasantries to complete his role as quickly as possible.

"Know your place. You don't deserve her," he continued, his tone laced with mockery and contempt. "If it's money you want, I can give you plenty. Just leave Lingzhou and never come back. Otherwise, I'll make you regret it."

"We broke off the engagement," Chen Fan said flatly, cutting straight to the point.

"What? Don't you understand what I'm sayi—" Su Ming froze mid-sentence, his prepared speech crumbling as he stared at Chen Fan in shock. "What did you just say?"

Su Ming lost his composure, staring intently at Chen Fan, desperately hoping he had misheard him.

"You heard me right. We broke off the engagement—immediately after you left," Chen Fan confirmed calmly.

Hearing this, Su Ming stood frozen, his mind struggling to process the unexpected news.

"Why?" he blurted out, unsure himself who the question was directed toward. Chen Fan raised an eyebrow, slightly puzzled by Su Ming's reaction. Realizing his slip, Su Ming quickly recovered.

"Why? Do you look down on Xueying?" Su Ming retorted, his voice sharp as he masked his surprise with indignation. If not for the sheer absurdity of this situation, I'd pat myself on the back for that quick save, he thought inwardly. "Who do you think you are?"

This time, Chen Fan was genuinely taken aback by Su Ming's erratic behavior.

Good grief, Chen Fan thought, what kind of mental gymnastics is this guy performing?

"Aren't you supposed to be happy the engagement is over?" Chen Fan couldn't help but ask, genuinely curious about what was going on in Su Ming's head.

Su Ming hesitated, unsure of how to respond, but outwardly, he still showed anger.

I don't even like her. How the hell am I supposed to know how I'm supposed to feel?

Before he could sort through his confusion, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Are you looking down on me?"

"Huh?" Chen Fan was confused. No matter how quick-witted he was, he couldn't understand where Su Ming was coming from.

"Did you think that I just deserved someone you could quickly toss aside?" Su Ming flared up with anger. "DID YOU LOOK DOWN ON ME AND XUEYING?"

Chen Fan stood there, speechless, unable to respond.

For a moment, he thought Su Ming was simply trying to provoke him, no matter what he said or did. But he was fairly certain he had never met him before.

"It's her who initiated the engagement being canceled," Chen Fan finally said.

"Then why did you agree? Deep down, you look down on her too, right?"

At that moment, Chen Fan wasn't even annoyed with Su Ming; he was just confused by his thought process. He decided to remain silent and see where Su Ming would take this conversation.

After a moment of reflection, Su Ming also realized how strange his words sounded. But his only option now was to press on, hoping that at least his hostility would push the plot forward.

"Hmph. I see," Su Ming scoffed smugly, his eyes gleaming with mockery as though he had seen through all of Chen Fan's tricks. This caused Chen Fan to raise an eyebrow, giving him a puzzled look but choosing to remain silent, waiting for Su Ming to speak.

"You're playing hard to get, huh?" Su Ming's words made Chen Fan's mouth twitch.

"Did you really think Xueying would fall for your tricks?" Su Ming sneered, clearly looking down on Chen Fan.

Watching Chen Fan remain silent, not reacting to his taunts, Su Ming paused for a moment, his gaze filled with clear mockery. But inwardly, he couldn't help but complain about Feng Yanyan.

[Where is this stupid heroine?]

[Doesn't she care about her future husband?]

[Hurry up, I'm running out of things to say.]

Meanwhile, Feng Yanyan, who was hiding behind the wall, muttered under her breath.

"Who is my future husband?"

She had initially planned to wait inside for them to finish their conversation, but when she heard that Chen Fan might punch Su Ming, her curiosity got the better of her. Since she could now hear Su Ming's words, she found him incredibly annoying. His constant nonsense and condescending attitude made her eager to watch him get humbled.

Peering through a small gap in the wall and the garbage dump from a distance, she occasionally caught glimpses of the two. Of course, she couldn't hear most of their conversation, only the bits when Su Ming shouted something about her sister, which led her to believe they were discussing the engagement.

Feng Yanyan pressed her ear closer to the conversation, peering through the gap to catch a glimpse of the interaction between Su Ming's mocking expressions and Chen Fan's silent demeanor. She could only guess at the exchange between them. But suddenly, she felt a tickling sensation in her ear. Turning her head, she saw the source of her terror—a small dark creature crawling up the wall.

"KYAAAH!"

Startled by her scream, both Chen Fan and Su Ming turned to look in her direction. They saw the girl with a pale complexion, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Feng Yanyan stumbled backward, falling onto her butt, her hands scrambling to push herself away from the seemingly enormous creature. Fear overtook her mind as she recoiled in terror.

Immediately getting up, Feng Yanyan bolted toward Chen Fan and Su Ming, crying out in desperation.

"HELP! HELP ME!"

Tears streamed down her face as she ran, glancing back periodically to check if the creature was following her. To her horror, she saw it flying toward her.

"AHHHH!"

Panicked, Feng Yanyan rushed toward Chen Fan and threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably against his chest. In that moment, she cared for nothing other than putting as much distance as possible between herself and the creature, seeking whatever comfort and security she could find in his embrace.

Chen Fan was momentarily stunned by the sudden embrace, but his attention quickly shifted to the source of Feng Yanyan's terror—a flying cockroach heading straight for them. Without hesitation, he flicked the creature, sending it tumbling backward before it crashed to the ground, motionless.

For a moment, only the sound of Feng Yanyan's sobbing filled the air. Even Su Ming, sensing the awkwardness, found it difficult to continue his performance.

"It's gone," Chen Fan murmured softly, gently patting her back. His words seemed to soothe her, and her sobs began to quiet. She quickly pulled away, standing still with her head lowered, her messy hair covering her face.

Su Ming, grinding his teeth in frustration, decided to persist despite the awkwardness.

"I completely understand now."

His sudden comment caused Chen Fan to glance at him in confusion, unsure how to respond.

"You don't just want Xueying, you want sister Yanyan too," Su Ming asserted, his words causing Feng Yanyan to tremble slightly. Chen Fan stared at him, utterly bewildered.

After all this, you still want to press on? Chen Fan thought, his expression a mix of confusion and disbelief.

"Hmph, you still want to deny it? No wonder you'd shamelessly sit next to Sister Yanyan even after breaking off your engagement with Xueying," He glared at Chen Fan with a fierce expression. "This is the first time I've met someone as despicable as you."

Even Chen Fan wasn't the only one taken aback; Feng Yanyan also began to look at Su Ming with an odd expression. She truly couldn't comprehend his thought process. The embarrassment she felt earlier now seemed entirely overshadowed by Su Ming's bizarre remarks. She couldn't decide whether to feel grateful or annoyed by his antics.

It's all for my points, Su Ming thought to himself, resolutely ignoring the strange looks from the pair. Bracing himself, he thickened his skin and focused his attention back on Chen Fan.

At this point, Chen Fan began to grow suspicious of Su Ming. His actions boiled down to two major possibilities: either he was the ultimate licking dog who couldn't tolerate even the slightest offense to his so-called goddess, or he was deliberately trying to create a hostile relationship with him.

Thinking this over, Chen Fan decided to test Su Ming's attitude. He said, "To be honest, I admire you, Young Master Su. Your unwavering devotion to Xueying requires a kind of courage that most people can't muster. It makes me want to cheer you on in your journey of love. That's why I feel it's only right to step aside and end the engagement with Xueying."

Chen Fan watched Su Ming's reaction intently, making it clear that he was extending an olive branch. If Su Ming truly was a licking dog, he would cast aside his suspicions. After all, Chen Fan had said this in front of Feng Yanyan, which would make it nearly impossible for him to pursue a real relationship with Feng Xueying in the future. However, if Su Ming's intention was genuinely to create a hostile relationship, Chen Fan couldn't help but feel puzzled—he had searched his memories and was certain he had never met Su Ming before.

Hearing Chen Fan's words and the underlying meaning behind them, Su Ming felt a wave of frustration wash over him. Damn it, aren't we supposed to be protagonist and villain? Why are you trying to support my love for the heroine? Su Ming racked his brain, desperately searching for a way to continue provoking Chen Fan without appearing suspicious. Time was short, and he needed to act.

Like I have a choice! Su Ming thought bitterly, recalling his mission in this world. There was no way he could have a peaceful relationship with the protagonist.

"Heh, who are you trying to fool?" Su Ming scoffed, casting a disdainful look at Chen Fan.