Two fingers rested on the bridge of his nose, covering his left eye as he flicked his bangs to the side.

With his gaze lowered at a forty-five-degree angle, he strode briskly into the shopping mall.

Once he reached the center, he stopped and stood perfectly still, maintaining his pose—two fingers shielding his face, eyes downcast.

Counting the seconds in his mind, three minutes later, Ye Liangchen slowly raised his head and extended a single finger toward the sky.

"I'm here!"

Hearing his own voice, a faint smirk curled at the corner of his lips.

Searching for someone in a crowded mall was a fool's errand.

The best method was to command everyone's attention—and in this regard, Ye Liangchen had his own philosophy.

After all, in his past life's dreams, he had always been the center of attention wherever he went.

Drawing eyes toward him? Child's play.

Noticing that Xue Shaohua had already spotted him, Ye Liangchen finally lowered his finger and flicked his hair with a light chuckle. "Three minutes. That's all it takes for anyone looking for me to find me with pinpoint accuracy."

Xue Shaohua gazed at him with adoration. It was true—the moment Ye Liangchen had dramatically pointed skyward, his eyes had been irresistibly drawn to him.

With another toss of his hair, Ye Liangchen revealed the eye previously hidden beneath his bangs and turned to Xue Shaohua. "Where are they? Take me to them. Today, I’ll make sure justice is served for you."

"Ye Liangchen, you’re really domineering today," Xue Shaohua said with a soft smile, his lips pressed together. It felt good to be cared for.

Suppressing the urge to grin, Ye Liangchen replied in the most indifferent tone he could muster, "Just a little bit domineering."

"We stand on the side of reason. Long Aotian has gone too far this time. I will get you the justice you deserve."

As he spoke, his expression darkened.

Long Aotian had no idea what awaited him after the sports festival.

Originally, Ye Liangchen had planned to keep a low profile, to simply exist as a solitary, enigmatic beauty.

So why?

Why?

Why did Long Aotian insist on provoking him?

A derisive laugh escaped him. Perhaps his repeated restraint had made Long Aotian think he was an easy target.

Xue Shaohua looked at him with admiration. "Fine. If you help me settle this today, I’ll make sure you experience double the happiness."

Ye Liangchen’s heart skipped a beat. He turned to Xue Shaohua, his expression solemn. "If helping someone is wrong, then this world has lost all sense of justice."

"This time, I stand on the side of righteousness." He extended his hand. "Will you walk with me and let me fight for you?"

Xue Shaohua stared at the offered hand, then nodded firmly and placed his own in Ye Liangchen’s palm. "I will." Fresh chapters posted on nοvelfire.net

"Good. Then sit back and watch me perform." With another dramatic hair flick, Ye Liangchen declared, "Take me to Long Aotian!"

"Mm. I saw them heading to the top floor earlier," Xue Shaohua said, pointing upward.

Ye Liangchen narrowed his eyes. "After bullying someone close to me, he still has the nerve to enjoy himself? The audacity!"

The top floor was the entertainment and food court.

Did Long Aotian feel even a shred of remorse for his actions?

Without hesitation, Ye Liangchen led Xue Shaohua toward the escalators.

The moment they reached the upper level, they spotted Long Aotian and his group—a striking ensemble of attractive faces that naturally drew attention.

---

Lin Wanning giggled as she watched Long Aotian. "Brother, your waist is way too stiff! Relax a little!"

In front of the dance machine, Lin Wanning and the other two couldn’t help but laugh at Long Aotian’s awkward, rigid movements.

Long Aotian’s face darkened at their teasing. "I’m setting an example for you two! The least you could do is support me instead of ganging up on me with Wanning."

Hu Yuying and Li Qingxue had been too self-conscious to try the dance machine, afraid of embarrassing themselves. To help them loosen up, Long Aotian had decided to sacrifice his dignity first—knowing that with him as the baseline, any missteps from them would pale in comparison.

"Sorry, Long-ge," Hu Yuying said, pressing her lips together to stifle another laugh. "We didn’t mean to make fun of you. It’s just... hard to hold back."

Lin Wanning grabbed Hu Yuying and Li Qingxue’s hands. "Come on! Long-ge already showed us how it’s done. Look, he doesn’t even care if people laugh at him!"

"That’s because he has the thickest skin imaginable. I’ve never met anyone shameless enough to match him," Li Qingxue said, rolling her eyes.

(And yet, he had devoured her ice cream in one go earlier...)

But thanks to Long Aotian’s "sacrifice," Hu Yuying and Li Qingxue finally let go of their inhibitions and joined Lin Wanning on the dance machine.

With the three now happily playing, Long Aotian retreated to a nearby bench with a sigh of relief.

But before he could relax—

Two figures stepped directly into his line of sight.

Looking up, he saw Ye Liangchen, with Xue Shaohua lurking behind him.

The moment his eyes landed on Xue Shaohua, Long Aotian’s brows furrowed.

Xue Shaohua flinched under his glare, covering his face and shrinking back—genuinely afraid Long Aotian might hit him.

Ye Liangchen immediately stepped between them, his expression stern. "Don’t you think you owe us an explanation?"

"Explanation for what?"

The feigned ignorance only stoked the fire in Ye Liangchen’s chest.

The commotion quickly drew the attention of the three girls, who abandoned their game and hurried to Long Aotian’s side.

"What do you think you’re doing?" Hu Yuying demanded, shooting a disgusted look at Xue Shaohua.

If there was anyone she disliked more than Ye Liangchen before, Xue Shaohua had now taken the top spot—especially after today’s incident. That pervert had actually tried to touch Long-ge! Unforgivable.

Li Qingxue, of course, had long since reached peak disdain for Ye Liangchen.

Ye Liangchen flicked his hair, deliberately avoiding Hu Yuying’s gaze—afraid that looking at her might weaken his resolve. "This doesn’t concern you," he said coolly.

"Those who do wrong must face consequences."

Long Aotian stood, his frown deepening as he glanced at Xue Shaohua before locking eyes with Ye Liangchen. "What exactly are you implying?"