Chapter 16: I Risked My Life for You

Chapter 16: I Risked My Life for You

As soon as my words faded, I noticed a flicker of indescribable emotion in Li Fan's eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

"Bai Ci," he said, "I truly didn't expect you to question my species over an issue of surname."

"I wasn't doubting; I was merely making a reasonable assumption based on the available clues," I hastily defended myself, trying to prove my innocence.

Before I could finish my argument, Li Fan suddenly stepped closer, pinning me against the wall. His galaxy-like eyes gazed deeply into mine, revealing profound affection. The subtle fragrance from his body invaded my nostrils, and his crimson lips slightly parted.

My vision blurred, and I felt my thoughts slipping beyond my control, veering towards a state of infatuation. In that moment, all I could think was "He's so handsome!" "He's so irresistible!" "I'd give him my life!" "I love him!"

"Snap out of it!" Just as I was about to kiss his cheek, Li Fan snapped his fingers, pulling me back to reality.

My face burned like a ripe apple, while Li Fan seemed unaffected, casually leaning with his arms crossed, as if he hadn't just tempted me.

"What did you do to me?" I touched my flushed cheeks, looking up in terror.

Li Fan smirked. "Look at you, so easily swayed." He continued, "Your face reddened, your heart raced just from my proximity, and you couldn't resist?"

Upon hearing his explanation, I seemed to grasp the concept. Could this be a form of seductive art? It's truly captivating.

Suddenly, I could somewhat empathize with King Zhou. With such a captivating vixen by his side, it's remarkable that he hadn't been drained dry.

Bai Zhi was still unconscious in bed. Li Fan said she wouldn't awaken for a few more days. Thus, after enjoying some cool breeze by the window, I prepared to pick up Tang Yuan and bring him home.

Li Fan didn't return to the tattoo nor did he become invisible. Instead, he walked openly with me on the street.

Throughout our journey, I sensed that everyone passing by would steal glances at us. Li Fan was an exceptionally rare beauty; just standing there stirred an irresistible urge to smother his face with kisses. No one would dare to mimic his looks through plastic surgery, let alone the fact that he was alive and moved on his own.

Fortunately, my good looks were enough to deter any envious gazes, preventing me from feeling too insignificant.

Pushing open the pet store door, I saw Tang Yuan emit two strange howls before hurtling into my arms like a cannonball.

The staff grooming him looked exasperated. "Young lady, your kitten has quite a temper. Bathing him is like a battle for his life. He shredded three pairs of gloves in the shop."

I hurriedly apologized and playfully tapped Tang Yuan's head. I also purchased a bunch of cat supplies. Only when we stepped out of the store did Tang Yuan speak with resentment.

"Bai Ci, you've gone too far. If you had something to ask, you could've just done so directly. Do you know what kind of torturous methods these people used on me?"

"Torture? Did you confess then?"

Tang Yuan huffed. "They didn't even bother to ask; they just kept rubbing! I lost quite a few hairs!"

I was genuinely interested in hearing Tang Yuan's gossip, and he seemed eager to share. Thus, I hailed a taxi and headed straight home.

I disliked living in the dorms, so my father bought me a standalone villa near campus. It had been under renovation, but was finally ready for occupancy these past few days.

As soon as we entered, Tang Yuan craned his neck, looking left and right, then asked me uncertainly.

"Tang Yuan, are you really wealthy or not? Why do I feel that you're both impoverished and affluent?" I asked him as I slipped on my shoes.

"What do you mean by both poor and rich?" I inquired, slightly puzzled.

"You can afford a villa but not its decoration, right? Why does it feel so sparsely furnished?" Tang Yuan asked sincerely.

What the hell was he talking about? That was called minimalism! Did he even understand the concept?

This minimalist style was a result of my strong insistence. If my father had been in charge, he would have decked out the house with gold and glitter, just to show off how wealthy he was.

"Indeed, you do have a sense of aesthetics," Li Fan observed, offering me a fair assessment after scanning the room.

Look, it's the little fox who knows how to speak properly.

After tidying up, I lounged on the sofa, scrolling through my phone. After a while, I grew curious about how much merit I had accumulated and poked Li Fan to ask him to check for me.

Li Fan couldn't resist my request and agreed to inquire in Hell. He then closed his eyes as if falling asleep, but he woke up just five minutes later.

"You've earned a total of 302 points in merit. Not bad, keep it up," he said.

I was astonished. "302? That much? Didn't you say that saving one person only earns twenty points?"

"You saved your sister and Lin Yu, which is worth forty points. Besides, you brought Tang Yuan out and eliminated Lai Yang, a troublemaker. They were more valuable," Li Fan explained with his eyes closed, resting. "Also, helping that semi-crippled old lady today earned you two points of merit."

I felt pleasantly surprised; I never expected such a significant increase all at once. Suddenly, the goal of two million merit points didn't seem insurmountable.

However, it was Li Fan who saved Tang Yuan and eliminated that monstrous toad. The fact that this merit was credited to me made me feel slightly overwhelmed.

"Don't overthink it. As long as you're present, any merit I earn counts for you too," Li Fan said, turning onto his side. "Merit added to me is useless. It's beneficial to you."

I see, I've decided that in the future, I can cling to Li Fan like a pendant or he can carry me in his pocket, always with him. That way, we'll accumulate merit much faster.

He'll be able to meet his wife sooner, and by then, I can tell that woman how I once risked my life for her.

With this realization, I felt a surge of self-satisfaction, as if I had an endless supply of energy, eager to rush downstairs and continue helping the elderly cross the street.

Just as I was basking in my joy, Li Fan suddenly called out to me, "Bai Ci."

"I'm here!"

I responded loudly, only to meet his somewhat grim gaze.

"You're that eager to distance yourself from me?"

Me: ????

Huh?

What is he talking about?

Why are you staring at me? He's unhappy that I'm in a hurry to accumulate merits to save his wife?

Seeing my confusion, Li Fan smiled wryly and tousled my hair into a mess.

"Never mind, forget what I said. It's good that you're so proactive."

I fell silent, obediently sitting beside him. I could sense a profound sorrow emanating from him. Just one gaze into his eyes, and I could feel his heartache piercing deep.

"Bai Ci," he said after a long while, his emotions somewhat restored.

"What is it?" I replied meekly.

"I have something to attend to tonight, but I'll be back tomorrow. So you might not find me tonight. I've set up a barrier around your house. Try not to go out. As long as you don't open the door, you'll be safe." He paused, looking into my eyes. "Can you wait for me to come back properly?"