Villain – Peeking at the Diary, the Female Leads’ Personas Collapse

In class, the teacher explained the basic properties of medicinal herbs and advised on which herbs could be combined and which should not.  Afterward, he left them to experiment freely.
The theme for this class was the enhancement of medicinal properties through combinations of different herbs. Mixing various herbs could lead to different effects.
Chen Fan’s task seemed straightforward at a glance. The first requirement was to be humiliated; only then could the protagonist’s prowess shine through. However, Chen Fan recalled a storyline that might connect here—it was set in a campus environment. Damn, he remembered now and chuckled.
“What are you laughing about?”
“Oh, nothing, just remembered something amusing.”
Oh well, they’d just have to wait for the next update.
Chen Fan, playing his role as a useless villain, didn’t lift a finger to work but instead took out his phone, thoroughly uninterested in the campus subplot or his father’s demand that he network. Better to write in his diary.
Sure enough, the female leads noticed something off first thing in the morning because Chen Fan’s diary entry was so brief. But one couldn’t blame him—he hardly bothered with other people’s plots.
Mu Jinli seemed to sense she had forgotten something, and Chen Fan’s memory jogged it back to her.
A notification popped up:
Chen Fan looked at Mu Jinli beside him and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Mu Jinli asked, “What is it?”
“Oh, nothing. By the way, do you feel uncomfortable if someone touches your ears?”
“Yes. How did you know? Whenever anyone grabs my ears, I get weak and feel uncomfortable. Don’t go telling people, though.”
“Sure, I won’t.”
Well, he’d figured out this “Hand of God’s” use. If someone came at him with a weapon, he could grasp it and immediately find its weak point to break it easily. It might even save him in a pinch.
Chen Fan glanced at the herbs on the table and then at the teacher. Without cooking something up, it didn’t look like he’d get through this round. Should he try a higher-grade version of the Life-Prolonging Decoction?
For him, even creating something like Calming Mind Ox Gallstone Pill* would be easy. The
was an ancient compendium, and the more ancient in the novel’s world, the more powerful it was. But in reality, that wasn’t quite the case. Too impressive, though, and it might interfere with the protagonist’s display.
With a few random herbs thrown into the mix, Chen Fan started the fire.
“You can’t add those. These two combined are toxic, and you’ll get scolded for it.”
“So what? It’s not like anyone’s actually going to drink it.”
“You … you’re wasting ingredients.”
“Yeah, right. Do I look like someone who listens?”
A villain listening to advice? As if. If that were the case, he wouldn’t be a villain.
Seeing Chen Fan’s chaotic approach, Ling Yuyan realized there was no relying on him. If Chen Fan said he knew medicine, then he likely did. After all, who would lie in their own diary?
Meanwhile, Ling Yuyan tried to offer guidance to Ye Aotian. “Those herbs are wrong; you can’t mix them like that.”
“I think it’s right.”
“It’s not.”
“But the book says these herbs can be combined.”
“I don’t care. It’s just wrong. I’m not helping you anymore.”
Throwing a tantrum was the only way she knew to deal with people. Sadly, her attempts had no effect since Ye Aotian insisted on his method.
Soon, a medicinal aroma began wafting through the room. Chen Fan quickly realized that Ye Aotian’s formula was successful—and even better than described in the novel. The concoction seemed potent.
Gao Zifeng, the teacher, detected the familiar smell and tasted the residue himself, commenting, “This is a variant of Calming Mind Ox Gallstone Pill? No, it’s even more effective.”
“I call it the ‘Life-Prolonging Decoction.’”
Nice one. Chen Fan silently gave a thumbs-up to the protagonist. But he kept up his taunt, saying, “You? Making a Life-Prolonging Decoction? I thought it was a lost formula.”
Everyone looked at Ye Aotian.
“You’ll see when the time comes. So, what did you come up with?”
Chen Fan opened his pot with a smug grin. Inside was a mushy paste that drew snickers from everyone around.