Enough talk, let's duel

"I've endured you long enough. I thought stepping back would earn me your respect, but I was wrong. How dare someone like you humiliate me like this?"

Ye Liangchen took a deep breath, flicking the bangs that obscured his vision, his eyes dark and venomous as he glared at Long Aotian.

Xue Shaohua feared him, but Ye Liangchen didn’t. He raised his chin arrogantly, his gaze locked onto Long Aotian, the fury within him barely contained...

Yet when he saw Long Aotian’s calm, mocking expression, the flames of anger burned hotter, his resentment skyrocketing. Everything was spiraling toward the worst possible outcome.

"What’s with that look? Why are you staring at me like that?"

How dare Long Aotian look down on him? He was a reincarnator, blessed with foresight and knowledge of the future.

How dare Long Aotian humiliate him? Sure, he wasn’t as endowed as Long Aotian, but so what? Hadn’t he heard the saying "good things come in small packages"?

Besides, what was Long Aotian so proud of? That oversized thing of his would only bring pain to women, whereas he, Ye Liangchen, would only bring them tenderness.

Ye Liangchen suddenly took a step back, putting distance between himself and Long Aotian, assuming a combat stance. "Enough talk. Fight me."

"If you win, we’ll admit we were wrong."

"But if you lose, then stay away from Hu Yuying. Stop holding her back from her future!"

As he spoke, Ye Liangchen let out a bitter laugh. Even though his precious girl had repeatedly embarrassed him, how could he give up without winning her over—no, without saving her from her misery?

He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply to steady his heartbeat, gathering every ounce of strength in his body...

SMACK!

Ye Liangchen staggered, his concentration shattered. His eyes flew open in shock as he touched his stinging cheek.

"You... you hit me?"

Faced with Ye Liangchen’s disbelief, Long Aotian finally understood why even his gentle subordinate despised this man.

He was insufferable. Despicable.

Xue Shaohua, who had been considering a sneak attack from behind, froze when he saw Long Aotian casually slap Ye Liangchen.

Damn... if that hit me, how much would it hurt?

"How shameless can you be to say something like that?" Long Aotian stepped forward, looking down at Ye Liangchen with cold disdain.

Finally snapping out of his daze, Ye Liangchen glared back with venom. "I’m shameless? Hah, that’s rich coming from you."

"You don’t know anything. You have no idea."

His courage returning, Ye Liangchen pressed on. "Do you have any idea how much I’ve sacrificed for Hu Yuying?"

"She could have had a brighter future, but you—you’re nothing but a stumbling block. Without you, Hu Yuying’s talent would have taken her so much further."

"And yet, you’re completely oblivious. If you really cared about her, you’d let her go."

Ye Liangchen now stood on the moral high ground, looking down at Long Aotian with righteous scorn.

At this point, if Long Aotian had even an ounce of concern for Hu Yuying, he’d step aside and let her go—let him, Ye Liangchen, be the one to save her, to guide her toward the glorious future she deserved in this life, just as she had in his dreams of the past.

Straightening his posture, Ye Liangchen rose onto his tiptoes, trying to match Long Aotian’s height so he could stare directly into his eyes. He wanted to see regret there.

"You’re pathetic," Long Aotian said flatly. "Who do you think you are, dictating Hu Yuying’s life?"

"Your so-called ‘concern’ is worthless."

"Using ‘what’s best for her’ as an excuse to meddle in someone else’s life—do you even realize how disgusting you are?"

"Hu Yuying’s life is none of your damn business. And let’s be honest—you’re not ‘concerned.’ I can practically see the filth in your eyes."

His words, though calm, nailed Ye Liangchen to the cross of humiliation.

"Hu Yuying is my girlfriend now. Stay away from her."

Long Aotian’s gaze flicked briefly to Xue Shaohua, who flinched, unable to meet his eyes.

Though Xue Shaohua was nearly as tall as Long Aotian, the latter exuded an aura of raw, overwhelming strength—an unspoken dominance.

The meaning behind Long Aotian’s words was simple, but Ye Liangchen, ever the reincarnator, clung to his delusions of superiority.

Even if Long Aotian was right, in his heart, Ye Liangchen still believed he was the one in the right.

"So this is your excuse for holding Hu Yuying back?"

"Long Aotian, don’t be so selfish."

"Even if Hu Yuying hasn’t said anything, your presence is affecting her. That’s undeniable."

Long Aotian exhaled slowly. He prided himself on his patience—since transmigrating here, very few things had truly gotten under his skin.

The first time had been when Ye Liangchen stalked the girls and kicked down his door.

And now, here he was again. "You’re truly shameless."

"I’m just standing on the side of justice," Ye Liangchen retorted, then shot Xue Shaohua a signal before suddenly swinging his palm toward Long Aotian’s face.

Xue Shaohua hesitated but, seeing Ye Liangchen strike first, seized the opportunity to attack from behind.

Long Aotian caught Ye Liangchen’s wrist mid-swing.

Without missing a beat, he kicked backward—

Xue Shaohua screamed as the blow landed square on his chest, sending him crashing to the ground.

Ye Liangchen’s pupils shrank at the sight.

Then, before he could react, Long Aotian’s arm swung—his palm slicing through the air with a sharp whoosh—

SMACK!

The slap landed hard.

In one fluid motion, Long Aotian twisted Ye Liangchen’s arm and delivered a brutal kick, sending him stumbling back—only to trip over Xue Shaohua’s sprawled form and collapse in a heap.

"I hate people like you—hypocrites who preach from their moral pedestals."

"Stay away from Hu Yuying. If I catch you harassing her again, I swear you’ll regret it."

He nudged the groaning pair with his foot. "Understood?"

Ye Liangchen clenched his teeth in frustration. Being defeated was humiliating enough, but now he had to endure this outright mockery. "Got it," he spat through gritted teeth.

Xue Shaohua, clutching his stomach, also nodded weakly. "Understood."