Chi Can leaned back against his chair, eyes half-closed, endless pain and agitation showing from his brows and the corners of his eyes. Even his voice had lost its usual languid quality, leaving only exhaustion: “Then tell me, how can we solve this problem?”

Without waiting for Shao Mingyuan’s answer, he suddenly opened his eyes, his bright black pupils staring directly at the person across from him: “Will you give up?”

Shao Mingyuan’s mood at this moment was equally unbearable.

He had never imagined there would come a day when he would fight with a friend as close as a brother over a girl.

If it were Miss Li, he wouldn’t compete at all. But she was Qiao Zhao, and he would never give up, even if it meant death.

“Answer me!” Chi Can pounded the table hard.

Shao Mingyuan looked directly into Chi Can’s eyes and shook his head: “Shixi, I can give up everything else, but not her.”

The determination in Shao Mingyuan’s tone made Chi Can fall silent for a moment before asking: “Why? I just want to know why you changed so quickly?”

Shao Mingyuan’s lips moved slightly.

The real reason was something he could never tell his friend.

Soul transmigration—such a thing was too incredible. If it spread and was exploited by someone with ulterior motives, it could bring catastrophic disaster to Zhaozhao.

Seeing Shao Mingyuan remain silent, Chi Can sneered: “Can’t say? Or do you simply disdain to tell me? Shao Mingyuan, to you, whether I exist as a friend doesn’t matter at all, does it?”

“That’s not—”

“Then tell me, what exactly is the reason? At least don’t treat me like a fool to be deceived, alright?”

Pressed by Chi Can with no way to avoid it, Shao Mingyuan steeled his heart and said: “Because I’ve had intimate relations with her!”

Chi Can was stunned, as if he hadn’t heard Shao Mingyuan’s words: “Say that again, I might have misheard—”

Shao Mingyuan sighed softly: “Shixi, Miss Li and I have already had intimate relations…”

This statement wasn’t a lie to his friend. In that cave, the way Zhaozhao had fed him medicine was indeed something only done between husband and wife.

Seeing Chi Can motionless, Shao Mingyuan felt pained and called out gently: “Shixi—”

Chi Can snapped back to reality as if waking from a dream, swinging his fist toward Shao Mingyuan’s face.

Shao Mingyuan didn’t dodge.

The oncoming fist landed directly below his left eye, instantly causing searing pain.

Chi Can threw his entire body forward, his eyes blood-red: “Shao Mingyuan, you beast!”

With this lunge, Shao Mingyuan fell backward with his chair, creating a tremendous crash.

Yang Houcheng, standing outside the door, couldn’t help but take two steps toward the doorway, anxiously rubbing his hands.

Could this result in someone’s death?

Inside the room, Chi Can seemed to have gone mad, swinging his fists at Shao Mingyuan. After taking several punches, Shao Mingyuan reached out and grabbed Chi Can’s wrists.

“Shixi, perhaps you should be alone after all and let me finish speaking.”

Chi Can laughed in extreme anger: “No, you were right just now—being alone won’t solve problems, fists will!”

Shao Mingyuan sighed: “Shixi, don’t forget that fists can only solve problems when you can beat the other person.”

The only thing he was sorry to his friend about was saying those words too early. Regarding Zhaozhao, he had never considered passing his woman around to be a virtue.

This statement from Shao Mingyuan made Chi Can pause, then laugh bitterly: “Shao Tingquan, how ruthless of you!”

Unable to continue fighting, Chi Can sat on the ground in a daze for a while, then asked in a hoarse voice: “When did this happen? Shao Mingyuan, are you fucking an animal? How old is Miss Li? She’s not even fourteen yet, and you had the nerve to lay hands on her?”

Ever since he became aware of his feelings for Miss Li, he had decided to marry her. But even if he married her now, he wouldn’t bear to touch her so early.

The girl he held at the tip of his heart, the girl he planned to patiently wait for to grow up, had been defiled by that bastard Shao Mingyuan.

Just thinking about this made Chi Can’s heart bleed with rage.

Hearing Chi Can’s accusation, Shao Mingyuan couldn’t help but blush with shame.

He had only thought of Zhaozhao as his wife, forgetting that the current Miss Li hadn’t even reached the age of the hairpin ceremony.

Thinking this way, no wonder Chi Can had struck so fiercely.

Chi Can glanced at him sideways and said coldly: “Now you know how to be embarrassed? Tell me, was it when you took her to find Coroner Qian? Or last night?”

Seeing Shao Mingyuan’s expression become even more awkward, he suddenly widened his eyes and exclaimed: “Could it have been today? Shao Mingyuan, did you plan all along to strike first?”

Shao Mingyuan smiled bitterly: “No, it was during the landslide at Luoxia Mountain. I went into the mountains to find her, and it suddenly started raining heavily. We took shelter in a cave…”

“And then you took advantage of her vulnerability?” Chi Can’s teeth chattered with rage.

What a fool he’d been, happily fantasizing about the future when his cabbage had already been devoured by a pig.

“No, I was injured at the time, and she fed me medicine—”

Chi Can’s eyes widened: “Fed you medicine?”

Speaking of such matters to someone else made Shao Mingyuan quite embarrassed. He said euphemistically: “I was unconscious at the time.”

“So?” Chi Can raised an eyebrow. Not getting an answer, he suddenly understood: “You, you two… she—”

Chi Can felt as if his heart had been suspended in mid-air, touching neither heaven nor earth, tormenting him so much he wished he could split his heart into countless pieces so it wouldn’t hurt so much he couldn’t breathe.

After a long while, he asked hoarsely: “If that’s the case, why did you say those things to me that day?”

“I hadn’t remembered yet at that time. Yesterday I had a vague dream that gave me this idea, so I went to ask her…”

“She admitted it?” Chi Can’s voice trembled as he asked this question.

Shao Mingyuan nodded gently.

Chi Can’s entire aura deflated, instantly changing from anger to dejection.

For him, Miss Li’s admission was even more despairing than her having intimate relations with his friend.

He had already understood Miss Li’s character—truly iron-hearted, unwilling even to pretend. Her ability to admit what happened with Shao Mingyuan already made the implications clear.

He had known all along that Miss Li’s attitude toward Shao Mingyuan was different.

Chi Can closed his eyes: “If—”

Just as he began to speak, a knock came at the door, followed by a young woman’s voice from outside: “Young Master Chi, please open the door. Our young lady has sent something.”

Chi Can’s heart stirred, and a bright light ignited in his despairing eyes. He stood up and quickly walked to the door, pulling it open.

A’Zhu stood outside and curtsied to Chi Can.

“What did your young lady send?” Chi Can asked, supporting himself against the door frame.

After the scuffle, Young Master Chi’s clothes were disheveled, making anyone who saw him blush and their heart race.

A’Zhu had to keep her head firmly lowered, holding up a small porcelain box with both hands: “The young lady asked this servant to bring wound medicine for General Shao.”

Chi Can stared fixedly at the small, delicate box, his eyes blazing.

“For General Shao?”

A’Zhu kept her eyes downcast, her voice clear: “Yes, young lady said it’s for General Shao.”