Chapter 57: You Take the Blame

Chen Fan couldn’t quite remember whether he’d walked back to the dormitory himself or had been carried there; all he knew was that when his mind cleared, he was already sitting in a chair. He wasn’t badly hurt—the blows had been heavy but not aimed to seriously injure. His attacker was single-minded, announcing each punch before throwing it: if he said he’d hit your lung, he’d really aim for your lung. Thanks to his quick wits, Chen Fan dodged every strike and even managed to bite back a couple of times.

He did, however, take a slap across the face—delivered by that girl. He could only recall being stunned at first, gritting his teeth to resist biting her in return.

Other than that, Chen Fan remembered that the quarreling couple had, in the end, inexplicably reconciled. They left together, hand in hand, laughing and talking as if nothing had happened, delivering a crushing blow to his single heart.

Gazing into the mirror and rubbing the spot where he’d been slapped, Chen Fan felt a pang of sympathy for himself. “Serves her right for being deceived. Maybe this will knock some sense into her.”

He sighed deeply. Barely two weeks into the semester, and he’d already gotten into three fights—all utterly nonsensical, every time provoked by others. He was always left bewildered, forced into a passive defense.

“Chen Fan, you’ve gone astray. You used to be a model student—you wouldn’t even step on the grass, let alone get into fights. What happened to you?” he muttered to his reflection.

“Elder, is it because you carry some kind of malevolent energy? Did I catch it from you when we merged?” Chen Fan searched for the root of the problem, naturally pushing the blame toward the Elder. He brandished the Elder card in his hand with a flourish, as if playing his trump card for all to see.

“Pia—”

“That has nothing to do with me! I’m a good guy card. The first time you fought was because your White Wolf King persona naturally attracts hostility. The second time, the Bear card was just a fluke—someone was out for revenge. The third time, you were the scapegoat, nothing more. For the sake of world peace, fire at me if you must,” the Elder replied sincerely.

Chen Fan grinned just as sincerely.

“So you’re saying, as long as I stumble into some ridiculous mess today, I can’t escape it?” he asked seriously.

“That’s about right. But look on the bright side: the more blame you shoulder, the more virtue points you accumulate and can share. Maybe you’ll help someone win the lottery,” the Elder said.

“I’d rather just wander around with the Idiot card, racking up experience,” Chen Fan mused, debating whether to attend his afternoon classes.

“Don’t hesitate—just go. What’s there to be afraid of? Just stay out of trouble, keep your distance from any drama, and nothing will happen,” the Elder said comfortingly, though with a hint of mockery in his tone.

“True. Besides, I registered under Wei Youlong’s name—no one will find me,” Chen Fan said, rubbing his hands together as if making a firm decision.

With some time to kill, he scrolled through his social feed and made a pleasing discovery.

“Suddenly feel like girls are such complicated creatures. It’s great being a simple guy.”

“Tsk, tsk. Looks like it had some effect, though who knows how long it’ll last. At least I did my part to rid the world of a pest,” Chen Fan thought, examining the attached photo. For once, it wasn’t a flashy show-off post.

He then browsed the school forum and stumbled upon an even more shocking revelation.

“Shocking! Man tails a burly guy in the dead of night—suspected homosexual.”

Chen Fan checked the details: the incident had taken place just after midnight, coinciding exactly with the time the curse had taken effect. The description of the suspect matched Wei Youlong, especially the part about a dog in human clothes, confirming Chen Fan’s suspicion.

There were a few similar posts, mostly about stalking incidents. Thankfully, none had escalated to anything more serious—no peeping, no sexual assault.

“Damn… why am I even on the forum?” Chen Fan suddenly discovered a short video of himself posted there, under the title: “Two Men Fighting Over a Girl—When Fists Aren’t Enough, Bite!”

“The person who wrote this title is just making stuff up. I was just a bystander!” He considered defending himself in the comments but thought better of it. The more one explained, the darker things became. Better to let the news fade away naturally.

“Hey, you’re really something—taking up the whole place. Even the girls in our department have their eyes on you, haha!”

It was another message from Li Peijun—the same guy who’d started a rumor about him and Xu Ying and had extorted a meal out of him last time. The thought made Chen Fan fume.

“Don’t believe everything you hear. I was just watching the drama. The guy couldn’t stand my good looks and tried to hit me, but I bit him instead.”

“Oh, then he probably mistook you for someone else.”

“Believe it or not, it’s the truth. That guy was two-timing and, when caught, tried to pin the blame on me. The girl was a fool—deserved to be tricked.”

“Everyone knows about it except the girls; only they’re in the dark. Wang Kehan and Wei Youlong are two of a kind.”

Chen Fan tilted his head back and sighed, “Elder, just give me a power card—something strong and tough. I’ll go settle things with those two myself.”

The Elder shook his head. “That’s not up to me. I’d love for you to have all your skills maxed out so you could take on anyone you want. But look at you now—so timid, even I can’t stand it. Just keep praying and building up virtue.”

“Ugh, your system is as annoying as ever,” Chen Fan grumbled, continuing to chat with Li Peijun.

Thanks to his scapegoat buff, Chen Fan avoided crowds, darting away the moment he sensed trouble, quicker than a startled chicken.

He finally made it to the classroom, found a quiet corner, and settled in, hoping to ride out the next ten hours in peace.

“You’re over the line. This is my territory,” a long-haired girl said, drawing a line across the table with her pen.

A short-haired girl, not to be outdone, retorted, “Hey kid, how old are you this year? Is there something wrong with your eyes? That line’s right up to my elbow.”

“I did it on purpose. This side’s all mine. If you don’t like it, go find another seat.”

“Why should I leave? I’m not letting someone like you have your way. If anyone’s leaving, it’s you.”

Chen Fan turned away. The two girls sat where no one else was nearby—university students, and from a prestigious school at that—yet they insisted on cramming together just to antagonize each other. He worried misfortune might fall on him, so he kept silent.

I’ll just watch. I won’t say a word. Surely nothing will happen this time.

“What’s with the attitude? Think you’re a princess or something? Come on, let’s fight.”

“Fine, bring it on. But let’s agree—no hair-pulling.”

“Who cares? Try pulling my hair if you dare.” The short-haired girl immediately grabbed the other’s hair and started a tussle.

“Seriously? Do all girls start fights by grabbing hair?” Chen Fan stared as the two launched their assault, hands locked in each other’s hair, dark and light strands flying everywhere like feathers from a shredded duster.

“Wow, even the bangs? That’s ruthless,” Chen Fan nearly exclaimed, but managed to hold it in.

“You bitch! I just spent five hundred on these bangs, and you ruined them. I won’t forgive you!”

“Bring it on! I’m not afraid.”

Chen Fan tucked his hands under the desk, already applauding the spectacle in his mind.

“Oh, come on…”

He couldn’t dodge in time—a flying water bottle hit him squarely, and blood poured from his nose.

Coughing, he felt something lodged in his throat and dug it out—an earring.

“Do you people throw just anything? If you’ve got the guts, throw—” He poked his head out to yell, only to be struck by a flying high heel.