The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix’s Novels Also Desires Happiness - Chapter 289



67. Title

“I mean…”

“Get lost!”

In an instant, an endless chill swept through, a biting cold wind mixed with snow like ice blades, spreading out from Celicia’s center.

The people around were instantly blown off balance, and as the cold wave passed, Podol was directly frozen into an ice sculpture, his face still bearing a look of disbelief.

Everyone finally steadied themselves, exchanging horrified glances, and without a second thought, they turned and ran.

But one person, while running, turned back, shot Celicia an apologetic smile, picked up the frozen Podol, and continued to run.

They had agreed beforehand that they would pay regardless of success, they couldn’t go back on their word!

The crowd disappeared from view.

Soon, the thin winter sun peeked over the horizon, and in the gradually calming snowstorm, the edge of the forest returned to tranquility and peace.

In the gentle morning sun, the golden-haired man held the girl’s waist, looking like the closest of couples, and from behind, it exuded a sourness that made one involuntarily smile and then want to flip the bird.

But as the perspective shifted to the front…

“How long are you going to keep holding me?”

Celicia suddenly turned her head to stare at Mu En, her eyes sharp and piercing like ice blades.

“Wait… wait a minute.”

Sensing the dangerous aura, Mu En quickly released his grip and took a step back, waving his hand with an awkward smile:

“No… it can’t be that bad. Haven’t we touched everything we were supposed to? It was just a waist hug. If you feel wronged…”

Mu En straightened his chest and said seriously:

“I can let you touch it back.”

“……”

Celicia stared at Mu En for a while, then suddenly narrowed her eyes and took a step forward. The sweet fragrance of the girl mixed with a chilling air approached, and the terrifying aura made Mu En instinctively feel smaller.

“You seem quite pleased with yourself lately, Mu En Campbell?”

“Eh, what do you mean?”

“After what happened a few days ago, your reputation in the academy has almost done a complete 180, especially among those first-year girls. They even think that the silly things you did before were either rumors spread by others to tarnish your name or that you deliberately sullied yourself to prevent others from targeting you. In short, there’s no way it could be your fault.”

“Ah? No, it can’t be.”

The former self was indeed a 100% spoiled rich kid; it couldn’t be said that all the rumors were false, and as for self-sullied… whose imagination was that wild?

Mu En wiped his nose, suddenly feeling a bit guilty.

“And with some people’s special promotion, you’ve already climbed to the second place on the popularity and charm ranking of St. Maria Academy.”

“Second place?”

Mu En blinked and asked curiously:

“Then who’s in first place?”

“Ha.”

Celicia didn’t answer and continued:

“Anyway, congratulations! You’ve finally shed others’ prejudices against you and become an incredibly outstanding and dazzling duke’s son in the eyes of outsiders. Now, if you want to prey on those little girls, you probably just need to beckon with your finger, and they’ll come over willingly. Who knows, this time you might not only avoid a bad reputation but also be praised for being a fan-favorite.”

Though it was meant as a congratulations, Mu En suddenly felt a fierce chill running down his spine, straight to his forehead.

“Nonsense!”

Mu En immediately shouted angrily, eyes wide in firm rebuttal:

“Celicia, don’t be fooled by those illusions. Am I really the ultimate scumbag who sounds like he’s asking for a chopping block? I’m very pure when it comes to feelings…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Mu En felt a bone-chilling cold slap against his face.

The cold wind, mixed with snow, spread out like fireworks. Mu En was thrown into the air by a terrifying force, performing a series of spins—three and a half turns, five and a half turns, twelve and a half turns…

Finally, with a thud, he landed in a headfirst position, buried in a pile of snow, leaving only his pert backside facing the sky, skillfully protesting the injustice of the heavens.

This time, the force was clearly much lighter than last time, and Mu En wasn’t knocked unconscious.

But just as he twisted his body, intending to pull himself out of the snowdrift, he felt a small leather boot land on his backside, slowly pushing him back down.

“……”

“I heard you have a new title now, one that’s quite popular in the academy?”

“Title?”

Upon hearing that he had a title, Mu En was momentarily stunned. He had been busy lately and hadn’t paid attention to what was happening around him, so he naturally didn’t know that someone had given him a title. He instinctively tensed up and asked:

“It’s not something like ‘Yellow Hair,’ is it?”

“Yellow Hair? What are you talking about?”

“Not Yellow Hair?”

“Of course not, but it’s somewhat close.”

Selisia released her foot, staring at the wriggling backside. The icy lake deep within her eyes rippled slightly as she softly said:

“Some people are now calling you—‘Blonde Campbell.’”

“……”

Mu En fell silent for a moment.

“……How very cringeworthy.”

“It is quite cringeworthy.”

“I’d prefer something like Flash, Silver, or Blade Avenger, you know.”

“What are those, your pathetic fantasies?”

“……But, ‘Blonde Campbell’… doesn’t sound too bad.”

Mu En lifted his head from the snow, the snowflakes mingling with the morning sun created a hazy picture in his vision, causing him to instinctively squint.

“Not bad at all.”

“Really?”

Selisia gently brushed a strand of hair aside, “That’s good. It seems I won’t need to put in extra effort to correct the atmosphere.”

“I’m leaving.”

“Hmm? You’re leaving just like that? We haven’t even reached the school gate yet.”

“I don’t have the time to waste on such meaningless things.”

Selisia turned and walked away, not looking back.

Mu En turned his head, watching Selisia’s figure gradually fade into the distance, and suddenly chuckled:

“Such arrogance…”

Whoosh—

The sound of rushing wind suddenly erupted.

An ice crystal longsword shot in from the distance, grazing Mu En’s cheek and piercing the large tree behind him.

Feeling a chill that was different from before, one that truly seemed capable of putting him to death, Mu En’s face turned pale with fright, his legs went weak, and he shouted indignantly at that figure:

“Damn it, are you trying to murder your fiancé?!”

Selisia seemed not to have heard, still not turning back.

Her silver-white hair floated in the air, her silhouette gradually disappearing from Mu En’s sight.

However.

As Mu En finally calmed down and turned to leave as well.

In the gentle breeze that stirred the falling snowflakes, a distant, indifferent, cold, yet faint voice suddenly came, like the warm sun in winter, causing a smile to curve at the corners of his lips:

“Take care on your way, don’t die, Mu En Campbell.”

“… Of course.”

Mu En paused for a moment, then smiled as he cradled the back of his head with both hands, stepping boldly along the last stretch of the path that led beyond the edge of the woods toward the bright and tidy main road:

“I’m no longer the unencumbered me from the beginning.”

“So naturally, I will strive to live even more.”