The improved female villains regained their memories.

"……don't want."

"Minor Cold!"

I said no!

His hand was knocked down by the girl.

She looked up abruptly, and in her bloodshot eyes, dark flames flickered.

"I don't want to! That guy wasn't a good person to begin with. He has a family and he's always out fooling around. What's wrong with me stealing some money from him? He doesn't care anyway!"

"Xiao Han, you can't even tell right from wrong anymore?"

"What's right, what's wrong? Why should I listen to you!"

"Because I'm your older brother!"

"You're not really my brother!"

Both of them paused upon hearing this.

Wen Shihan moved her lips, seemingly realizing she had said the wrong thing. Her mouth shape looked like she was going to say sorry, but it looked more like she was moving around helplessly.

Sadness, helplessness, and frustration welled up in Yang Pingsheng's heart, along with the slightly mocking voice of the system.

"See? I told you long ago, this guy is a wolf cub. It's no use for you to fall in love with her; it will only make you miserable. You might as well take my original plan."

"Shut up..."

To avoid being overheard by Wen Shihan, Yang Pingsheng said this through clenched teeth.

He looked at Wen Shihan, who had lowered his head again, and at this moment, his tone turned icy: "I'm asking you one last time, Wen Shihan, are you going to pay or not?"

It's cold, frighteningly cold.

Wen Shihan's body began to tremble violently. She stopped speaking and fell silent again.

"Good, good, good."

Yang Pingsheng said "good" three times in a row, grabbed Wen Shihan's arm and threw her onto the bed, took a wooden board and whipped her buttocks again and again.

"I won't pay it back! I won't pay it back!"

Of course, there was no romantic chemistry between the opposite sexes as depicted in novels; all that remained was the heartache of an older brother.

Wen Shihan, I really want you to become a better person.

I don't want to see you defy the will of Heaven, nor do I want to see you end up all alone, all for the sake of what you call "better".

Do you even understand?!

Heaven and the system forbade Yang Pingsheng from revealing their existence, so Yang Pingsheng didn't say these words.

He was simply heartbroken, and this heartbreak made him hit even harder.

Again and again, for reasons unknown, whether it was to correct his behavior or because of Wen Shihan's words, "You're not really my brother," Yang Pingsheng himself couldn't say for sure.

Wen Shihan was beaten until she was covered in blood, but she gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and didn't utter a single sound.

The shiny coins were almost embedded in her palm.

She clutched those few coins in her hand until she was almost knocked unconscious.

They won't let go, no matter what.

Chapter Five: Fly, Birds!

In the end, Yang Pingsheng's wish was granted.

Taking advantage of the girl's weakness, he pried her hands open, took the money, forced her to get up, and dragged her by the arm to apologize with him.

The butcher cutting the meat didn't seem to care. When the two children offered him money as an apology, he simply gave a curt "oh." To him, those few coins were nothing.

He was busy cutting meat the whole time, and acted as if he hadn't heard Yang Pingsheng's bow and apology. At the end, he even waved people away, telling them not to interfere with his business.

Wen Shihan was already weak, and after being severely beaten, she developed a fever that very night. Yang Pingsheng took out all his money to treat her, call a doctor for her, and provide her with nutritional supplements.

Their house was dilapidated; it was rented and located at the very end of an alley. The roof often leaked, the windows looked like they were about to rot, the paint was peeling off the walls, and the whole house was empty with only a few pieces of furniture.

Although the conditions weren't ideal, Yang Pingsheng was still particular. He bought a curtain to cover part of the space, which became Wen Shihan's territory. To cultivate her sense of privacy, Yang Pingsheng never went inside; he slept on the bed made of planks on the other side of the curtain.

Now that Wen Shihan is ill, this is arguably the first time he has entered the room, which can be considered an intrusion into the girl's privacy.

Beside her bed was a jar filled to the brim with coins, almost overflowing.

Wen Shihan's face was flushed. Because of the medicine on her bottom, she was lying face down on the bed, her mind already hazy. Yang Pingsheng gave her his blanket, thinking it would make her more comfortable, and moved the medicine jar away. But as soon as he picked it up, the girl grabbed his arm.

"Money, my money... Don't touch it..."

"Fine, fine, I won't move then. Are you a money-grubber?"

Yang Pingsheng grumbled and put the money box back on the bedside table for the girl, but she continued to mutter in her sleep.

"Don't move... save it... for your brother..."

Yang Pingsheng stopped moving.

He looked down at the girl, whose brows were tightly closed, lips were pale, and hands were tightly clenched.

“Brother…I didn’t steal…those were what I saved up, you can keep them…”

"..."

Yang Pingsheng sighed softly, put down the jar, and prepared to leave.

However, she tightened her grip on his hand even more.

"Brother, don't go, Xiaohan was wrong..."

"I do not go."

He smoothed the girl's messy hair: "I'm going out to check the medicine. I won't go anywhere; I'll stay with you."

The hand loosened.

Yang Pingsheng went out, but instead of going to see the medicine, he left home.

He sat on the doorstep threshold, making sure his voice wouldn't carry in, before slowly speaking:

"She's not asleep, is she?"

"Didn't you confirm it yourself?" the system's voice rang out. "Are you asking if I'm still clinging to a sliver of hope?"

"...Just take it as such."

"She was indeed not fully conscious, but that didn't stop her from saying those things," the system said, its tone tinged with schadenfreude. "You could interpret it as, half-asleep, half-awake?"

Yang Pingsheng hugged his knees and buried himself in pain.

"Give up. I've never agreed with your plan. Ordinary human emotions can't sway these female villains. You think you can just give your heart and soul, but what did you get in return? Ha! If she weren't so obsessed, why do you think she'd be a female villain?"

The system's voice continued, its main purpose still being to persuade Yang Pingsheng: "You've hit him, you've talked to him, but what's the result? Even if Wen Shihan follows you for a while, she's still unwilling at heart, and even wants to influence you in return, using the image she's created to sway you. She even filled up the jar for her elder brother, tsk tsk, that jar is overflowing, did you see her give it to you?"

"...Stop talking."

"That plan..."

"Whatever you say."

The system fell silent in satisfaction, leaving Yang Pingsheng sitting there alone.

Warmth is actually cold, truly cold...

The night wind was bone-chillingly cold.

From that day on, Yang Pingsheng seemed to have changed.

The brother and sister acted as if nothing had happened. On the surface, Yang Pingsheng advised Wen Shihan to do good, but in reality, he turned a blind eye to all her behavior.

"Yes, that's it."

The system said with satisfaction.

"The stronger a person's obsession, the more painful it will be when they try to erase their memories. And the more painful it is, the harder it is to forget them."

"Wen Shihan, she is someone who crawled out of hell, yet she yearns for the light. However, she does not want anyone to stop her. Humans are so contradictory; on the one hand, they crave gentleness, and on the other hand, they hate the weakness that gentleness brings."

"So, Yang Pingsheng, well done."

"Let Wen Shihan see your kindness, let her darkness serve your kindness, and the bond you two build together will be the only way that when that day comes, Wen Shihan will struggle painfully because of her obsession, and in the end, all she will remember is your kind and earnest teachings."

There is a time lag before memories are deleted.

While Heaven could erase the memories of everyone else, it couldn't erase the female villain's. In the days leading up to the memory erasure, everyone except the female villain would forget Yang Pingsheng; she would be the only one in the entire world who would remember him.

The female antagonist's obsession would certainly prevent her from forgetting her master; therefore, she would struggle, feel anger, plead, feel confused, and question. But no matter what, as long as she has deep feelings for Yang Pingsheng, she would never give up so easily.

however--

The Way of Heaven is vast and beyond human control. Even a fully-fledged female villain would be feared by the Way of Heaven. But as long as they haven't fully matured, the Way of Heaven will remain the Way of Heaven forever. Heaven is irreversible, and the female villain will eventually forget Yang Pingsheng, but her terrifying obsession will subconsciously lead her to act according to his instructions.

This is what the system told Yang Pingsheng: to make them obsessed with you, intoxicated by you, and ultimately change because of you.

Yang Pingsheng, of course, scoffed at such a method; he still believed in exchanging sincerity for sincerity. But now, he fell silent.

He had to admit that even if he had given his heart, Wen Shihan wouldn't change her mind. No matter how deep their relationship became, Wen Shihan would stick to her principles. That was just the kind of person she was—cold-hearted and unwilling to change her beliefs for anyone else.

Since that's the case, let's follow the system's approach.

Once you know the pain, it will be over.

The gears of fate began to turn, and Yang Pingsheng abandoned himself, following the system's guidance, to become the person Wen Shihan liked.

He was gentle, instructive, protective, and never complained. He constantly cleaned up the troubles Wen Shihan caused, but ignored her behind-the-scenes behavior.

Their relationship grew closer, but something seemed to be changing in the shadows.

Finally, that day arrived.

Yu Ding Sect accepts disciples, and Wen Shihan becomes a disciple.

The story begins.

Chapter Six Misunderstanding