Alarm bells rang off in my head, overwhelming my senses. Flashes of light blending in with the blaring sun before my eyes. Loud noises both outward and inward flooded through my ears and mind. No longer feeling the urge to grasp my head in pain as I had before, I smiled pleasantly to the person standing before me, the one who had started this chain reaction. The pain was now bearable to say the least. 

“Lei…Brother Lei? Is everything alright?”, said the girl in front of Lei Qiu. Lips pursed and brows furrowed in slight concern, she leaned towards him. 

Taking a step back, Lei Qiu smiled and shook his head. “No everything is alright, was there something you needed Sister…?” 

The system in his head had been triggered upon hearing her words. Something had changed. Ignoring the words spoken by the system, he read what floated above his head.

[Vengence Arc Unlocked]

Having no time to process the words he had just read, the girl started speaking again.

Straightening her back, she smiled “We met yesterday remember? Well…Well maybe not. I came to talk to you during dinner?” Her smile slowly faded as her previous confidence did the same. “My name is Luo Fang.”

Lei Qiu’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly as he heard her name. Looking down he saw as she extending her hand in good will.  Hesitating for a moment, he considered whether or not he should return the handshake before, though unwillingly, deciding to extend his hand towards hers in return. 

“It’s lovely to meet you Sister Luo! Pardon my rudeness in not recognizing you earlier…” 

Her expression instantly brightened at his recognition, “Oh no it's fine…I’m just glad you’re not mad at me…”

His smile widened painfully. Truth be told, he didn’t want to be a part of this interaction. Interacting with the lead “Luo Fang” was the last thing he wanted. This girl was essentially as close to the Villain as the female lead, Shen Xiaoli. Luo Fang, the first love interest of the novel, the reason the Villain finally snaps, and the cause of him getting exiled from the sect. In other words, Lei Qiu couldn’t let them meet no matter what. 

Tilting his head, Lei Qiu smiled albeit a little confused. “Why would I be mad at you?” 

Why do YOU think I’d be mad?

She bashfully looked down at her hands in what appeared to be guilt. “Well…I was the one who delivered the message to you last night…The one where-”

Oh.

“Oh that? Don’t worry about it, I understand it wasn’t your doing.” He said, maintaining his smile. 

Leaning forwards towards him again, Luo Fang looked up at him with tears in her eyes. Before Lei Qiu could take a corresponding step back away from her, she grabbed his hands, trapping them firmly within hers, a surprisingly harsh grip for such a timid girl. 

“Let me make it up to you! I…I don’t have much but surely after what you went through I can at least do this?”

Irritation seeping through him, Lei Qiu smiled harder. “Well…If that's the case then ok…How about this! You can make it up to me by being my friend, ok?” 

“Friends…Friends!” She said cheerfully and smiled. “Ok then!” Letting go of his hands, she took a step back now content with the answer she got. Lei Qiu put his hands at a safe distance behind his back, away from her, doing everything in his power not to exhale in relief. 

Her ears reddened slightly as she continued to avert her eyes. “I’ve never had a friend before Brother Lei…Can you believe that?”

He could in fact believe it. 

Smiling peacefully he looked at the shy girl, “Then that would make me your first friend? I’m honored.”

The redness on her ears spread to her cheeks as she briefly looked up at him. “Yea-Yeah.” 

Inwardly groaning he turned away from her and to the field of crops that lay just outside of the woods he had been in the previous night. 

“I have to tend to the medicinal herbs but afterwards would you like to train together?”

Her eyes brightened as she looked up at him “Sure! And…and I can help you with the crops as well…” 

…

…

Lei Qiu forced a smile. “Oh thank you! I’d appreciate that!” 

He’d do anything to keep them from meeting. Even if that meant spending time with a girl he wanted absolutely nothing to do with. Though one way or another Luo Fang and Bai Huiliang were bound to meet. The story revolves around him after all, anything that was meant to happen would happen. Perhaps he thought that by keeping her attention on himself, he could prevent the girl from meeting the Villain. In the end he knew it wouldn’t work. Lei Qiu knew this, very well in fact. And yet? Despite all the knowledge he had of this world and its workings he couldn’t help how he felt. He couldn’t help but try to defy Fate. 

Fate. 

If it meant that Bai Huiliang could live happily without getting involved with all these dirty things, Lei Qiu would even kill Fate if he had to.