TRWSB – Chapter 107 Human Face Masks

Yifan approached Zhuang Hao, smirking slightly. “Young Master Zhuang, you’re as popular as ever!”

Zhuang Hao glanced at Yifan and replied, “Is that so? Too bad I’m not popular with Shao Rong.”

“Our young master has high standards. Although you’re excellent, you’re still far from meeting them,” Yifan quipped.

Zhuang Hao: “…”

“If your young master’s standards are that high, he’ll end up unmarried, you know,” Shen Yuan chimed in.

Yifan shot Shen Yuan a disdainful look. “Young Master Shen, perhaps you should worry about your own prospects instead. You certainly don’t need to concern yourself with my young master. He’s got no shortage of admirers. But enough of that—I have business here.”

“What business?” Shen Yuan asked.

Yifan opened his travel case and said, “Take your pick.”

Shen Yuan peered inside and winced. “Human-skin masks? And they’re all… hideous.”

Yifan nodded. “Exactly. We need to reach Liguo quickly, and Zhuang Hao’s knack for attracting attention will only slow us down.”

Shen Yuan glanced at the masks and then at Zhuang Hao. “A-Hao, hurry up and pick one! If you’re uglier, I won’t have to keep playing second fiddle to you when we meet women. Who knows? With you as a contrast, maybe they’ll appreciate me more!”

Zhuang Hao looked at Yifan seriously. “I can’t make myself too ugly.”

“Why not?” Yifan asked. “Young Master Zhuang, do you care about your appearance that much? You should know that looks are just a superficial shell—nothing worth worrying over. Don’t be so shallow; strive for depth.”

“Shaorong likes beautiful people. If I look too ugly, it’ll leave a bad impression,” Zhuang Hao replied earnestly.

“Who told you that?” Yifan asked.

“Shaorong said it when he was still acting as the ‘Evil Doctor,'” Zhuang Hao explained.

Yifan: “…”

“You’ve got it wrong. My young master prefers people who are uglier than he is. If someone looks better than him, he gets jealous and upset,” Yifan clarified.

“Really?” Zhuang Hao asked skeptically.

“Of course. I’ve known Qí Shaorong for years. My understanding of him far exceeds yours,” Yifan said confidently.

Zhuang Hao stared at him and said, “Understanding doesn’t always come with time. Sometimes it depends on fate—like how I’ve spent so much time with the Evil Doctor and still didn’t realize he was the one I broke off the engagement with.”

Yifan: “…”

Shen Yuan: “…”

Shen Yuan muttered inwardly, Yifan really knows how to stir things up. Doesn’t he realize that someone harboring unfulfilled desires can be dangerous? Zhuang Hao is absolutely terrifying right now.

“Are you sure Qí Shaorong likes ugliness?” Zhuang Hao asked with doubt still lingering.

Yifan looked at him. “Why not give it a try? After all, your current looks haven’t won him over.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

“Fine, I’ll trust you this time,” Zhuang Hao said.

Yifan smiled. “You should learn to trust people, Zhuang Hao. If you’d listened to me earlier, you wouldn’t be in this mess now. Remember when I told you you’d regret calling off the engagement?”

Zhuang Hao’s face twitched. Both Yifan and Bì Liúyún had warned him he’d regret it. But neither had explained why! It felt less like advice and more like a chance to gloat later.

“What are you all doing?” Qí Shaorong walked over.

“You… Zhuang Hao?” Qí Shaorong looked at the disguised Zhuang Hao, uncertain.

Zhuang Hao nodded.

Qí Shaorong raised an eyebrow and burst out laughing. “Zhuang Hao! Haha… Zhuang Hao, you look so ugly now! I didn’t think it was possible for you to become this hideous. You’re hilariously ugly.”

Zhuang Hao stared at Qí Shaorong’s reaction, dark lines forming on his forehead. Yifan’s stupid idea!

As Zhuang Hao reached up to remove the mask, Qí Shaorong stopped him. “No need to take it off. This is perfect.”

“A-Fan, you should wear one too,” Qí Shaorong suggested.

Yifan froze. “Huh? Me?”

Qí Shaorong nodded. “Yes.”

Yifan frowned. “There’s no need. I don’t look all that great to begin with.”

“Nonsense!” Qí Shaorong said. “You’re quite the looker. Why else would one of the Capital’s Three Beauties, Mu Xuelan, pick you over everyone else? It’s because of your looks!”

Yifan: “…”

Shen Yuan’s lips twitched slightly as he thought: Mu Xuelan choosing Yi Fan must have been pure coincidence. It wasn’t because of his looks. Still, Yi Fan is indeed quite handsome, but back then, he was a useless guy. No one cared about his looks.

“Come on, just pick one,” Qi Shaorong urged.

“These masks are all too ugly,” Yi Fan protested.

Zhuang Hao glanced at Yi Fan, thinking: So, you do realize how hideous these masks are. I thought you didn’t even notice.

Qi Shaorong looked at Yi Fan and said, “The uglier, the better. That way, no one will cling to you.”

Yi Fan took a deep breath and replied, “Young master, you have to let me save some face in front of Ting Xuan.”

Qi Shaorong looked at him and said, “Ting Xuan likes ugly people.”

Zhuang Hao thought to himself: What goes around comes around. Earlier, Yi Fan said Qi Shaorong liked ugly people, and now Qi Shaorong claims Mu Tingxuan does too.

Zhuang Hao patted Yi Fan on the shoulder and said with a mockingly wise tone, “Young Master Yi, do you care about appearances that much? You must remember that looks are just a shell, nothing more. Don’t be so superficial—have some depth.”

Shen Yuan’s lips twitched again. Zhuang Hao really threw that line back at him quickly.

Yi Fan stared at Qi Shaorong. “Are you sure about this?”

“Shaorong is always right. Besides, I can tell just by looking at Mu Tingxuan—he likes ugly people,” Zhuang Hao declared confidently.

Yi Fan glared at Zhuang Hao, his gaze laced with displeasure.

Zhuang Hao smiled and said, “I mean it. What you say might be true, but what I say is usually not wrong either.”

Yi Fan countered, “Young Master Zhuang, I heard you once said that you were resolute about the engagement cancellation and would never regret it.”

Zhuang Hao: “…” How many more times will Yi Fan bring up that incident?

Despite his reluctance, Yi Fan eventually complied with Qi Shaorong’s request and picked out a mask to wear.

Shen Yuan blinked at Qi Shaorong and asked, “Should I wear one too?”

“You?” Qi Shaorong looked him up and down and said, “No need, Shen Yuan. Your looks are just average—not enough to attract admirers.”

Shen Yuan: “…” Does he have to put it like that? I’m actually pretty handsome, okay?

“If I’m not charming enough to attract attention, you definitely are. How about you wear one?” Shen Yuan suggested.

Qi Shaorong waved dismissively. “Me? I don’t need one.”

“Why not?” Shen Yuan asked, confused.

Qi Shaorong replied nonchalantly, “Because I have strong self-control. No matter how many admirers come my way, I can handle it.”

Shen Yuan: “…”

“Tingxuan.”

Hearing Yi Fan’s voice, Mu Tingxuan turned and was momentarily stunned by Yi Fan’s new appearance.

“What happened to you?” Mu Tingxuan asked.

Yi Fan shrugged and said, “Shaorong insisted I do this. He said it’d make me less conspicuous.”

Mu Tingxuan nodded. “He’s right. Your original look was a bit too eye-catching, drawing unnecessary attention.”

Yi Fan looked at him in surprise. “Tingxuan, do you think my original appearance was too flashy?”

Mu Tingxuan nodded. “Yes.”

“Do you think I’m handsome?” Yi Fan asked cautiously.

Mu Tingxuan nodded again. “Yes, you’ve always been quite handsome.”

Yi Fan lowered his head in slight embarrassment, the mask hiding the flush spreading across his cheeks.

Watching Yi Fan’s barely concealed delight, Zhuang Hao felt a pang of annoyance. Yi Fan is really lucky. But what’s wrong with Mu Tingxuan’s judgment? Is Yi Fan’s face really all that? Surely mine is the better example of true handsomeness.

“You there, young master!”

The girl Zhuang Hao had saved earlier came rushing over.

Zhuang Hao turned around, and the girl gasped in shock, taking several steps back. “What happened to you?”

“He’s always looked like this. It’s just that before, he used a mask to make himself look handsome,” Yi Fan said, draping an arm over Zhuang Hao’s shoulder.

“If he was wearing a mask before, why isn’t he wearing one now?” the girl asked suspiciously.

Yi Fan chuckled and said, “Because the mask broke, so he had to stop using it.”

The girl stared at Zhuang Hao, her expression betraying unease. “I… I’ll be leaving now.”

Yi Fan burst into laughter. “That girl is so gullible! I thought she’d be harder to trick.”

Zhuang Hao turned to Yi Fan. “Where’s your mask?”

“It’s not crowded here, so I’m not wearing it for now. I’ll put it on when we’re back on the road,” Yi Fan replied.

Zhuang Hao nodded. “I see. Are you afraid Mu Tingxuan might think you’re ugly?”

Yi Fan: “…”

Yi Fan glanced at Zhuang Hao and said with a faux smile, “Young Master Zhuang, look how you scared that poor girl. Was this the first time you disgusted someone into running away?”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

“Not everyone in this world values inner beauty. Take good care of your face—it’s the only thing you’ve got,” Yi Fan said as he walked away.

Zhuang Hao glared after him, thinking: Why does Qi Shaorong surround himself with people like Yi Fan, who are nothing but trouble?

He glanced toward Shen Yuan, who responded with a silly grin. Zhuang Hao sighed inwardly. If Shaorong’s people are problematic, mine are even worse.

“Alright, now that the stragglers are gone, let’s move,” Qi Shaorong said.

Yi Fan looked at him. “Young master, is it really necessary to rush?”

“That girl was just scared off. She’ll recover soon enough, and once she does, it’ll be too late for us to leave,” Qi Shaorong explained.

Zhuang Hao nodded. “Shaorong is right. Let’s move quickly.”