I am the villain in the book

"Okay."

Almost the instant Li Zimu finished asking, Tang Chen gave his answer, without even asking what kind of help was needed.

He just looked at Li Zimu and said with utmost sincerity:

"Miss Li, tell me."

"Anything I can do, I definitely won't refuse."

...

A breeze rustled Li Zimu's hair, and a flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes. She lowered her head and weakly replied:

"Young Master Tang."

"I... I actually just want to know if I really like Xianping."

"And you have mind-reading abilities, so..."

"I understand, this is not difficult."

A sudden sting in his heart, Tang Chen forcibly suppressed the emotion and nodded without betraying any feelings.

"However, my mind-reading divine power doesn't truly read people's thoughts, but only discerns the truth of what they say."

"Therefore, Miss Li, you must say something related to this matter."

"Is that so?"

Li Zimu nodded, then adjusted her posture, turned to face Tang Chen directly, and said shyly in a soft voice:

"I... I really like Young Master Chu..."

"Is that alright?"

...

The morning sun fell into Li Zimu's eyes, filled with a woman's affection for her beloved.

Looking into her eyes, Tang Chen felt that he didn't even need to use his mind-reading ability; the result was already obvious.

However, clinging to that one in ten thousand hope, he silently summoned the Dream Eater Leopard, ordering the latter to look at Li Zimu.

Pain, disappointment, unwillingness.

But also a hint of relief.

Tang Chen didn't know what he was feeling at this moment; he just nodded gently and said:

"I have used my mind-reading ability. What you said is indeed from the bottom of your heart."

"Really?!"

Li Zimu immediately covered her mouth, her face overflowing with surprise.

She first breathed a sigh of relief, but a few moments later, worry crept into her brow.

"What's wrong?"

Tang Chen forced himself to smile, suppressing the pain in his heart, and asked: "Finally understanding your own feelings, shouldn't that be a good thing?"

"It is a good thing, but Young Master Wei will definitely not believe me anymore..."

Li Zimu smiled wryly: "I'm afraid this is a case of 'one who brings trouble on oneself cannot live'."

"This Young Master Wei isn't such an unreasonable person, is he?"

Tang Chen persuaded: "Not everyone can clearly understand their own thoughts, especially when it comes to matters of love between a man and a woman, which are inherently elusive."

"To assume you were insincere towards Young Master Chu just because you asked one question is too arbitrary."

"Anyway, there are still many days to come. I believe Young Master Wei should understand."

Advising the woman he loves not to give up on the man she loves... for any man, this is an experience they would never want to have.

Tang Chen forced a smile and offered some words of comfort, but Li Zimu only shook her head bitterly after listening.

"Although that's what you say, Young Master Wei has been able to get to where he is today, which means he must be the type who would rather kill the innocent than let one go."

"So, when I didn't immediately give him the answer he wanted this morning, the ending between me and Xianping was already sealed."

"Forget it, let it be."

"At least I know my feelings for Xianping; that's enough."

Looking up at Tang Chen, Li Zimu's tone was extremely lonely.

Hearing her say this, Tang Chen didn't know what to say to comfort her. Adding to that the severe pain in his heart, he got up, preparing to return to his room to rest.

"Miss Li, since that's the case, then you should think about it yourself."

"If there's nothing else, I'll go back first..."

"Young Master Tang, I... I would like to ask you to help me with another matter."

Gently interrupting Tang Chen's farewell, a blush suddenly rose on Li Zimu's face.

"Ac... Actually, Young Master Wei also asked me another question this morning."

"He asked me if... if I also have feelings for you..."

...

His body shuddered violently, and Tang Chen was completely stunned.

It wasn't that he couldn't understand why Wei Changtian would ask this; after all, his every move when he was with Li Zimu yesterday must have been seen by the hidden sentries. It was understandable that Wei Changtian would have this suspicion.

Tang Chen just didn't understand why Li Zimu would bring this up.

After all, since she sincerely liked Chu Xianping, how could she also like him?

Moreover, compared to Chu Xianping, whether it was in terms of appearance, status, or power, he was inferior in every aspect. His only advantage might be that he was not yet married.

Therefore, the answer to this question should be obvious.

Then why did Li Zimu bring this up in front of him?

Was it to humiliate him?

Impossible; Miss Li would never be this kind of person.

So, does that mean the answer Li Zimu gave at the time was different from what he thought?!

For a moment, Tang Chen's breathing became extremely rapid, as he waited for Li Zimu to continue with an extremely complicated feeling.

At this time, the blush on the latter's face was even more intense, and her head was buried very low, as she murmured in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz:

"Young... Young Master Tang, I didn't know what I was thinking at the time, but I actually answered 'I don't know'…"

"We are clearly just friends, I..."

"I... I'm very confused right now, and I don't know how to tell you..."

"So... so, I don't know if you can use the same method again to... to help me one more time..."

The same method, to help one more time.

Obviously, Li Zimu wanted to use the mind-reading technique again to confirm whether she really had feelings for Tang Chen as well.

If it were anyone else, Tang Chen would definitely agree immediately.

But when the subject of the test was himself... he almost subconsciously shouted:

"No!"

...

A "No" echoed in the pavilion, also causing Li Zimu to be stunned.

However, she quickly came back to her senses and said softly:

"Young Master Tang, I'm sorry; I didn't consider your feelings."

"Just pretend I never said the words just now, and I won't mention them again in the future."

"S-Sorry, I'll go back first."

Sincerely apologizing, Li Zimu got up in a slightly flustered manner, wanting to escape.

But in the next moment, Tang Chen suddenly called out to her again.

"Wa- Wait a moment."

"Miss Li, if you really want to try, then... then let's try it."

"Th-This might also be a good thing for me..."

...

A good thing for me, too.

Without a doubt, Tang Chen wanted to use the result of this mind-reading to put an end to the illusion that shouldn't exist in his heart.

And Li Zimu naturally understood this meaning. After a moment of silence, she actually bit her lip and instead advised Tang Chen:

"Young Master Tang, are you sure..."

"I'm sure."

Tang Chen took a deep breath, as if he had finally made up his mind, and his voice was no longer stuttering.

"Miss Li, there's no need to worry about me. Anyway, we've already guessed the result, haven't we?"

...

A solitary courtyard in the early morning, a bamboo forest kissed by the rising sun.

Alas, human intentions are as fleeting as clouds and water.

Without answering "yes" or "no," Li Zimu's gaze met Tang Chen's, and then she took a half-step forward, standing in front of Tang Chen.

Unlike the shyness she had when she said, "I like Young Master Chu," she was very calm at this moment.

"Alright then..."

Nodding, she reached out and gathered her hair.

The tassels of the silver hairpin in her hair swayed slightly in the sunlight. She looked directly into Tang Chen's eyes, and then, in a tone that was not a question, but almost a statement, she said softly:

"Young Master Tang."

"I like you."