Xu Muyan listened to her mother’s description from the side, feeling utterly shocked. She hadn’t expected that after Wang Haoran took an afternoon off, such an incident would occur.

“Father, I told you that you misunderstood Wang Haoran. He’s different from other rich second-generation kids. Do you believe me now?” Xu Muyan huffed.

“Old Xu, I think you must have made a mistake. Yanyan even used his phone to call me. How could he have any ill intentions?” Lawyer An said.

Xu Zheng glanced at Chu Bai:

“But I heard him say that Wang Haoran gathers a group of underlings at school and acts like a tyrant, and he’s dated many girlfriends.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Muyan shot a shocked glance at Chu Bai and said to Xu Zheng:

“That’s not true. While many students at school look up to Wang Haoran, he doesn’t act like a tyrant. Wang Haoran’s academic performance is excellent, comparable to mine. He doesn’t have time to act like a tyrant with underlings, and as for having many girlfriends, that’s even more ridiculous.”

“Is that so?” Xu Zheng asked Chu Bai.

Chu Bai lowered his head guiltily. He had smeared Wang Haoran’s reputation, but he hadn’t expected Xu Zheng to bring it up on the spot.

“I might have exaggerated a bit,” Chu Bai responded awkwardly to Xu Zheng.

Xu Zheng frowned. He could see that Chu Bai liked his daughter, but smearing others because of it was quite unethical.

“Chu Bai, that’s not right,” Xu Zheng slightly reprimanded Chu Bai.

“Uncle Xu, compared to him almost causing someone’s death, this is nothing,” Wang Haoran couldn’t help but add another blow to Chu Bai.

“Almost caused someone’s death?” Xu Zheng was very surprised.

“You all don’t know, right? Here’s what happened…” Wang Haoran recounted Chu Bai’s actions at the jade factory that afternoon.

“I heard President Tang mention this. Originally, President Tang wanted to sue him, but because the principal intervened, President Tang dropped the matter,” Lawyer An said.

Xu Zheng’s gaze towards Chu Bai changed instantly.

…

[Ding! The host successfully dealt a blow. Supporting character Xu Zheng’s impression of protagonist Chu Bai has dropped to zero. Xu Zheng has left the protagonist’s camp and is now neutral.]

[Ding! The host has influenced the plot direction, earning 100 villain points.]

Receiving the system’s notification, Wang Haoran couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. This was just the first strike; the second one hadn’t come yet. By his calculations, Fan Jian should be arriving soon. Could it be that this guy messed up?

Wang Haoran was a bit worried. It was all the fault of the silly author who created this novel, giving him such a brainless underling. Damn!

At this moment, the sound of a bicycle braking came from the roadside. Fan Jian finally arrived. He parked his bicycle, scanned the surroundings, and then walked towards the riverbank.

“Did you take the money I dropped?” Fan Jian questioned Chu Bai.

“What nonsense are you talking about? What money of yours did I take? It’s ridiculous to lose your money and then come looking for me,” Chu Bai felt a bit nervous inside but maintained a calm exterior.

“I took the small road, and I didn’t encounter anyone else along the way, only you. I clearly remember having the money on me before meeting you, and it was gone after. If you didn’t pick it up, who did? Did you hide it in your backpack?” Fan Jian’s gaze shifted to the back of Chu Bai.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Chu Bai scoffed, but his hand instinctively grabbed his backpack.

“Open your bag and let me see. If it’s not there, I’ll apologize to you.”

“No need, and I’m not showing you my bag.”

“Let me see!” Fan Jian became anxious and directly rushed to tussle with Chu Bai. However, with Fan Jian’s build, he was no match for Chu Bai. Fortunately, Xu Zheng intervened in time to separate the two, sparing Fan Jian from a beating.

Wang Haoran stepped forward and said:

“Fan Jian, you lost your money on the road. Who knows who picked it up? Directly accusing Chu Bai is a bit unreasonable.”

These words sounded fair, and even Chu Bai was surprised, letting his guard down. But at that moment, Wang Haoran snatched Chu Bai’s bag:

“I believe Chu Bai didn’t take it. Let me open the bag and show you!”

With his master-level Wing Chun skills, capable of throwing dozens of punches in a second, Wang Haoran’s hands moved like lightning, easily snatching the bag. Chu Bai didn’t have time to stop him.

When the bag was opened, a bundle of red bills was revealed.

“Uh, this…” Wang Haoran fell silent.

Fan Jian knew it was his time to shine and immediately said:

“This is my money. I told you Chu Bai picked it up, and he even denied it.”

Pointing at Chu Bai’s nose, Fan Jian’s voice was filled with anger and a hint of tears:

“This money was for my grandma’s medical treatment, and you wanted to pocket it. You’re despicable! Do you know that without this money, my grandma might die?”

The story about his grandma being sick was, of course, a fabrication by Fan Jian. He often used such excuses when asking for leave, claiming his grandma, grandpa, or father was sick… In any case, every relative of Fan Jian had been “sick” at least once. The more he lied, the more experienced he became.

Except for Wang Haoran, who knew the truth, everyone else believed Fan Jian’s words. The Xu family of three looked at Chu Bai with changed expressions.

…

[Ding! The host’s manipulation has caused supporting character Xu Zheng’s impression of protagonist Chu Bai to drop to a state of disgust.]

[Ding! The host has influenced the plot direction, earning 100 villain points!]

Wang Haoran received the system’s notification. The villain point reward was only from Xu Zheng, not from Xu Muyan or Lawyer An. This was because Xu Muyan already had a negative impression of Chu Bai, and Wang Haoran had already received a reward for it. The reward couldn’t be obtained repeatedly. As for Lawyer An, he wasn’t part of the protagonist’s camp and was already on Wang Haoran’s side. Therefore, even if Lawyer An disliked Chu Bai, it wouldn’t generate villain points.

“I found the money, but I didn’t intend not to return it. I just wanted to scare you a bit. Who told you to be so arrogant before?” Chu Bai tried to explain. However, this explanation was weak and unconvincing, unable to change the Xu family’s dislike for him.

Wang Haoran was pleased with this situation. As long as Chu Bai had no chance to improve his reputation with the Xu family, their dislike would persist.

“Hiss…”

Suddenly, Xu Zheng staggered, clutching his side with a pained expression. Xu Muyan and her mother were startled and quickly inquired about his condition. However, Xu Zheng soon returned to normal.

“There was a sharp pain in my left side just now, but it’s fine now.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? Should we go to the hospital for a check-up?” Xu Muyan was worried.

“Your dad is in great health. There’s no need to go to the hospital for something like this,” Xu Zheng refused outright.

“Honey, maybe you should still get checked,” Lawyer An suggested.

“No, no, I said it’s nothing,” Xu Zheng was adamant. He had always been in good health, rarely even catching a cold, and had almost no connection with hospitals.

Wang Haoran stood by, observing Xu Zheng’s firm stance, and was thoughtful. The Xu family now had a poor impression of Chu Bai. Could this sudden incident with Xu Zheng be a chance for Chu Bai’s protagonist aura to restore his reputation?

Wang Haoran had encountered similar situations several times before. However, Chu Bai’s ability was X-ray vision, not some miraculous healing power. Could he really help Xu Zheng with a medical issue?

Right, X-ray vision!

Wang Haoran suddenly realized something and immediately focused his X-ray vision on the area Xu Zheng had clutched earlier.