“Thank you, thank you,” the little girl’s mother said to Bian Suwen, who returned the gesture with a gentle smile.

At this moment, the little girl had calmed down. Her mother softly encouraged her, “Sweetie, quickly thank the brother and sister.”

With big, round eyes, the little girl looked at Bian Suwen and Wang Haoran and in her childish voice said, “Thank you, fairy sister and fairy brother.”

Hearing these innocent words, a warm smile appeared on Bian Suwen’s typically cool face. She crouched down and gently patted the girl’s head.

Feeling slightly frustrated at not being able to show off, Lin Chen couldn’t help but instruct the girl, “Little sister, don’t eat random things in the future, okay?”

He would have preferred that the girl not choke than let Wang Haoran steal the spotlight.

The little girl’s cheerful demeanor seemed to dim when Lin Chen spoke. She took a step back, bumping into Wang Haoran, and naturally hid behind him.

Wang Haoran’s irresistible charm was evident. The fact that the little girl, after being scolded, chose to hide behind him rather than run to her mother, demonstrated his natural affinity.

Crouching down, Wang Haoran comforted her, “Don’t be afraid of this meanie, I’ll protect you.”

Feeling slighted, Lin Chen immediately retorted, “I’m not a bad guy! You’re the one who’s bad!”

Given his ongoing rivalry with Wang Haoran, Lin Chen naturally saw him as the antagonist.

“Big brother is so handsome; he must be a good person!” the little girl confidently declared, sticking out her tongue at Lin Chen.

“Foolish child, who says good-looking people are always good?” Lin Chen countered.

“So, are you saying you’re ugly and that’s why you’re a good person?” she retorted.

Lin Chen, flustered, snapped, “I’m cute! How am I ugly?”

The little girl giggled and said, “Cute is for girls. You’re a boy and you call yourself cute? Shame on you.”

Though only around four or five years old, the little girl got the better of Lin Chen, who seemed to be about eight. Their banter was both comical and somewhat charming.

“You little brat…” Lin Chen grumbled, exasperated by her quick wit.

Smiling with satisfaction, the girl made a face at Lin Chen.

After lingering for a while longer, the little girl’s mother thanked Wang Haoran again and then left.

Wang Haoran politely acknowledged her thanks and took another look at the girl’s mother. Earlier, his attention had been on the sweet little girl, but now he noticed the mother was also strikingly beautiful, scoring around a 95 for looks, temperament, and figure.

She was at the level of a female lead.

However, having a four or five-year-old daughter didn’t quite fit the typical female lead template, which usually has an element of ‘purity.’ This beautiful woman being a mother meant she couldn’t be ‘pure,’ right? If she were, that would be pretty unrealistic.

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, the little girl and her mother disappeared from Wang Haoran’s view.

“That little brat doesn’t know any better, calling me a bad guy…” Lin Chen mumbled, feeling aggrieved as he watched the girl leave.

Hearing this, Qiu Qianwei and Bian Suwen couldn’t help but chuckle. The latter said, “Children speak without malice, don’t take it to heart. Good-looking people aren’t necessarily good,” and glanced at Wang Haoran as she spoke.

This slight gesture did not go unnoticed by Wang Haoran.

He felt a bit irked. Why did she have to look at him when uttering those words? Was she implying he wasn’t a good person?!

Well, to be fair, he actually wasn’t a good person. And he couldn’t be.

As a major antagonist, he naturally drew a protagonist’s ire just by existing. Trying to be a good person would be fatal.

However, Wang Haoran could empathize with Bian Suwen’s viewpoint. After all, he had once “abandoned” her, so she naturally viewed him as a bad person.

With the meal concluded, they headed back to the villa near Qingling, where Liu Yue lived.

The villa was spacious with plenty of rooms, so Bian Suwen was set up to stay there as well.

Upon arrival, Wang Haoran couldn’t help but feel slightly surprised. He knew that Qiu Qianwei, Liu Yue, and Ji Shuiyao lived close to Qingling University, but he hadn’t realized their villa was less than a hundred meters from the one Tang Bingyun had given him.

In the future, he would need to be cautious when coming and going with Tang Bingyun or any other female lead. Getting spotted by Qiu Qianwei and the others could spell trouble.

“Thank you for carrying the luggage. You probably have other things to do, so I won’t keep you,” Bian Suwen said, subtly hinting that Wang Haoran should leave before he could even sit in the living room.

The message was clear, and Wang Haoran understood. In truth, he did have a commitment that afternoon—attending class, which was nearly due.

“Lin Chen, we need to go to class,” Wang Haoran said, making sure to bring Lin Chen along as he left.

For an antagonist, leaving the protagonist to mingle with the female lead was a big mistake!

Lin Chen resisted, but was no match for Wang Haoran’s strength and soon found himself being dragged out of the villa.

Inside the villa, only Qiu Qianwei and Bian Suwen remained.

“Third Sister, why do I feel like you have something against Wang Haoran?” Qiu Qianwei asked with curiosity now that they were alone.

“No, you’re mistaken. I don’t hold anything against him; I’m wary of all men,” Bian Suwen replied calmly.

She wasn’t fabricating. After being “abandoned,” her wariness towards men had increased. When treating male patients, she avoided direct contact, opting for the hanging silk technique instead.

Taking her words at face value, Qiu Qianwei didn’t suspect anything but felt compelled to defend Wang Haoran, saying he was different from other men and was utterly loyal. “Third Sister, when you meet him in the future, don’t hold antagonism toward him.”

“Him, loyal? Just a heartless man who starts and abandons relationships!” Bian Suwen had initially maintained her composure, but her voice carried a sneer after hearing Qiu Qianwei’s praise.

“Third Sister, why would you say that? Did he wrong you?” Qiu Qianwei asked, both surprised and unsure.

Realizing her slip, Bian Suwen was startled and immediately regretted her words.

She had never told anyone about her past with Wang Haoran, not even her sisters like Qiu Qianwei.

Having let her emotions slip and sensing Qiu Qianwei’s curiosity grow, Bian Suwen had no desire to get entangled with Wang Haoran and naturally wanted to keep their past secret. To dispel any suspicion, she said, “It’s like this, I have a friend…”