Face Your Inner Self

When charm was unleashed, Ye Liangchen's confidence soared at a speed invisible to the naked eye!

When he raised his head again, the smile on his lips brimmed with self-assurance, and even his eyes deepened with emotion.

"Your heart tells me you need me!"

"Don’t forget what I just said—I am the savior."

With that, he lightly flicked his bangs and spread his arms wide, as if embracing the entire world—exuding confidence, nonchalance, elegance, and every nuance of charisma in a single breathtaking moment!

No one could resist such overwhelming charm!

He wondered how Shen Mengjie would react when she first saw him like this.

Shen Mengjie couldn’t help but laugh at Ye Liangchen’s sudden burst of confidence. She studied him seriously before raising a hand to her chest. "You’re saying my heart told you I need you?"

Ye Liangchen nodded with utmost solemnity. "Yes, your heart called out to me, and I felt it."

Gazing at Shen Mengjie’s smile, he declared triumphantly, "Your smile right now says it all."

"We’ve known each other for a while now. Truthfully, I sensed it long ago, but I didn’t dare face it. After what happened yesterday, I’ve made up my mind—I can’t keep avoiding it."

"Now, I’ve opened my heart and am ready to face you."

"No, no, don’t misunderstand. I was just laughing at you," Shen Mengjie quickly clarified.

"First of all, I’m perfectly fine and don’t need saving—and you certainly can’t save me."

"Secondly, we’re barely acquaintances. You claimed Long Aotian would harass me and offered to 'help' me avoid him. If not for you swearing on your knees, I wouldn’t have believed you. Beyond that, we have no relationship whatsoever."

"But now you’re suddenly telling me my heart yearns for your company and salvation? Isn’t that ridiculous? Don’t I know my own heart better than you?"

Ye Liangchen shook his head gravely. "You still refuse to confront your true feelings."

"Admit it, Shen Mengjie. Admit you’ve already fallen for me without realizing it."

With that, he took a deep breath, slowly lowered his arms, and wrapped them around himself in a self-embrace.

Shen Mengjie rolled her eyes. "You’re delusional!"

"Do you think every woman should fawn over you?"

She sighed in exasperation. "Forget it. Let’s not contact each other anymore, lest you start claiming I’m madly in love with you!"

From the beginning, Shen Mengjie had only played along to extract more information about Long Aotian from Ye Liangchen.

She’d found it amusing—until she saw Ye Liangchen and Xue Shaohua acting disgustingly intimate before heading to a hotel.

After that, her interest vanished.

Her original plan was to sleep with Long Aotian herself.

But now, these two wanted to... target Long Aotian instead.

It was too much to stomach.

Seeing Shen Mengjie actually walk away, Ye Liangchen panicked. The crux of his plan relied on her slipping the drink ["See You Tomorrow"] to Long Aotian.

Only someone familiar like her could lead a drunken Long Aotian away without raising suspicion!

If she backed out now, how would his plan proceed? Who else could deliver the drink?

When Long Aotian got drunk, would his friends just stand by as a stranger hauled him off?

Realizing this, Ye Liangchen switched tactics. "Fine, if you won’t admit it, let’s focus on the noble mission of saving lost souls."

"Long Aotian is a villain who preys on innocent girls. Knowing this, how can we stand idly by?"

Moral grandstanding was Ye Liangchen’s specialty.

"That’s what infuriates me!" Shen Mengjie retorted scornfully. "From what I’ve learned, Long Aotian and Hu Yuying are in a real relationship. Nothing like your claims of him being some tyrannical predator."

"You’re the one with ulterior motives."

"He has a girlfriend, yet you insist on 'saving' her? No wonder Long Aotian beat you up!"

Ye Liangchen was stunned she knew this. Flustered, he scrambled for a rebuttal.

He’d only wanted to save Hu Yuying—for her own good! How dare Long Aotian attack him?

Even if Hu Yuying was Long Aotian’s girlfriend, what about Li Qingxue? Beating him over her was unjustifiable!

Seizing on this loophole, Ye Liangchen blurted, "No! Hu Yuying isn’t truly happy. She loves me! Long Aotian stole what was rightfully mine!"

"Li Qingxue and I shared ten years together. How many decades does a life have? Yet Long Aotian twisted my pure-hearted muse into someone unrecognizable!"

"And Lin Wanning—we grew up together, childhood sweethearts! But because of Long Aotian, she now denies our bond!"

Clutching his chest, he lamented, "All this stems from Long Aotian’s deceit. I just want to expose his lies and save them. Why can’t anyone understand?"

"Whatever. None of this concerns me." Shen Mengjie’s flat dismissal shattered Ye Liangchen’s carefully crafted pathos.

His attempt at pity and moral leverage collapsed instantly. Words stuck in his throat—useless to speak, yet unbearable to swallow.

Ye Liangchen stared blankly as Shen Mengjie walked away.

Today, he’d come to conquer her with his charm.

Instead, reality had humiliated him.

Without her help, what next?

As New Year’s Eve loomed, cracks formed in Ye Liangchen’s confident facade.

Resentment toward Shen Mengjie simmered.

If only she’d played dumb and helped him ensnare Long Aotian, everything would’ve gone smoothly. Her betrayal ruined it all!

"I once considered adding you to my harem. Now, know this—your fate is eternal neglect!"

With that, Ye Liangchen abandoned all pretense and stormed off.

New Year’s was approaching. His flawless plan couldn’t tolerate a single flaw.

Long Aotian was as good as his.

Watching him leave, Shen Mengjie smirked.

Seems he hasn’t given up. This’ll be fun.

Part of her wished she’d waited longer to drop the bomb—to catch him completely off guard.

But his antics had been too insufferable to endure...

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