I'll even show you crossdressing men.

Now it's your turn, let's see what happens.

Perhaps this is going too far for two people who only have ideas but haven't taken any action yet, but isn't revenge something you do to get what you want?

From Zi Qing's perspective, these two people who wanted to take the young master away from her were not worth pitying even if they died, let alone the fact that they were only given a small punishment.

This punishment is both a beginning and an end.

It begins with punishing the two of them, ending their delusions about the young master.

He had lived with Ji Xiuyu since childhood, and it seemed that there was no one else in his world except for him and the other people he lived with.

How could such an environment not give her this thought? To protect what little she has, to keep those people away, to prevent them from taking it away. Even if it meant severe punishment, it didn't matter.

In her world, the young master is now the center of her life, so it's perfectly normal for her to feel this way.

Leaving her aside, look at the other girls. Apart from the maids who don't belong to this group, whose eyes reveal expressions of excitement, surprise, disgust, or indifference, the girls who belong to this group all have happy faces.

Regardless of whether they had fought alongside them before—if they were just causing trouble, their ungratefulness alone made them feel bad about them.

Seeing this result now, he was both excited and relieved. It seems that he is truly out of the running. These two, like Ishikawa Yuya, will become an insignificant signal in his life.

"What you two ordered..." Ji Xiuyu, dressed in a maid outfit, held up a plate in each hand, on which were the items ordered by Bai Ke and Andrei.

He was talking as he walked, but when he turned the corner, he saw two men passionately kissing, and he swallowed all his words.

No one knew what he was thinking. After a moment of silence, he walked over, placed the two dishes in front of them, put away the silver plates, stood up, and left with an indifferent expression.

What remains might be that sudden realization, or that sigh of letting go of the past.

"Eh..."

P.S.: Seriously, is it really that hard to accept that I'm a boy?

Chapter 240: Pink on the outside, black on the inside

"Mmm~" They kissed passionately for a while, and as the effects of the drug gradually wore off, they both came back to their senses.

Upon closer inspection, she realized that the person kissing her wasn't Ji Xiuyu at all, but clearly that disgusting guy (idiot)!

"Pah, pah, pah~" How could I possibly accept something like this? Forget about a beauty like Ji Xiuyu.

They had been in close contact with him and knew that he had an indescribable fragrance that made people feel comfortable.

Being intimate with him is not something to be disgusted by; on the contrary, it is an extremely enjoyable pleasure.

But that only applies to Hime Xiuyu, regardless of gender, not to the man before him.

"You!" Even someone as calm as Bai Ke couldn't help but get angry. A white spiritual energy flowed across his body, indicating that he was about to make a move.

"Bastard!" Andrei reacted even more violently than him. He stood up, slammed his hands on the table, and glared at him with fury.

"Excuse me, are you dissatisfied with my service, which is why you're acting this way?" Just as the two were about to fight, Ji Xiuyu's voice rang out. He looked at the two of them, who appeared weak and helpless, truly pitiful and endearing, which inexplicably suppressed his anger.

Bai Ke took a deep breath. Xiu Yu was indeed Xiu Yu; his extraordinary charm was truly astounding.

Knowing that if things continued this way he would get angry and it would be even harder to get along with him in the future, he said something very timely: "Since you think this is not good, Xiuyu, then it is my fault. I'm sorry, Andrei."

A true man can bend and stretch, let alone a small apology. This not only turns a passive situation into an active one, but also increases Ji Xiuyu's favorability.

Unfortunately, while he had figured it out, focusing on Ji Xiuyu, Andrei, whose thought process was a bit slow, didn't quite grasp it. He suppressed his anger and complained, "Bai Ke is going too far! First, he took my seat, and then he..."

He didn't dare say the rest aloud, but gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Anyway, I'm not done with him!"

That's a normal human reaction, and Andrei perfectly exemplifies what it means to act impulsively.

However, his reaction was normal, but it was far inferior to Bai Ke's.

At least, some people who were originally quite averse to Bai Ke couldn't help but feel that Bai Ke was even more outstanding after seeing this situation. Andrei only had a good appearance, but no self-awareness at all.

In short, he's a complete idiot.

"Hey, on the verge of elimination." His words brought immense relief to Bai Ke, greatly increasing the likelihood of Andrei being eliminated. Even if they had never actually entered the competition before.

With one less idiot holding him back, he was confident that he could get Ji Xiuyu to continue down the path he had originally intended for him.

If successful, the "Concubine Raising Plan" will begin. As for those who are eliminated, just watch them win the heart of their beloved.

"This is a restaurant, not a fighting arena. If you want to settle this, please leave..." Biting her lip, Ji Xiuyu's eyes seemed to be misty, it was hard to tell whether she was angry or sad.

His meaning was clear: if Andrei, you really have a grudge against Bai Ke, then leave here and go to the arena with him. Don't stay in the restaurant and cause trouble.

Upon hearing his words, Andrei realized his mistake; oh no, his performance had fallen short of expectations again.

He originally thought he could do it, but now it seems that he has been outmaneuvered by Bai Ke again, and this time it was in front of Ji Xiuyu.

Judging from Xiuyu's expression, he was probably disappointed in him.

Since that's the case, then let's just go all out and at least let you know that I still have manly spirit.

"Then let's duel, Bai Ke. The last duel was interrupted before a winner was decided. Let's do it again this time. I'm sure you think you can defeat me, so accept the challenge. If you win, I will be the loser and will no longer have any thoughts about Xiu Yu."

At this point, his tone turned serious: "But what if you lose?"

He didn't make any demands, firstly because he didn't want to be disliked for making excessive requests, and secondly to show his generosity and confidence.

Andrei wasn't really stupid; his remedial measures after realizing his mistake earned him the respect of many.

This challenge is interesting. The beauty they fought over last time happened here, but an accident occurred, and the matter was left unresolved. What about now?

Those unaware of the situation were completely baffled. Weren't these two men just passionately kissing? The way they were demanding and affectionate was enough to make anyone blush. How could things have changed so suddenly?

Their behavior was completely unlike that of someone who would engage in a deep kiss; they looked more like men fighting over the right to pursue a young girl.

To others, their behavior was certainly romantic and interesting. But in Ji Xiuyu's eyes, it was extremely bad.

He had, after all, gone to another world, a world with a completely different culture and development. The rise of women's rights there taught him a great deal.

The actions of these two people may be considered romantic, but what he saw was only an attitude of treating women as objects.

"Is this what you want? Then I'll go all out..." Ji Xiuyu disliked their attitude, but she couldn't show it.

If you treat me as an object, then I'll treat you as toys.

He rarely loses his temper, but this time it came suddenly and erupted in silence; no one knew what he was planning to do.

"Phew, this matter started because of me, and it will end because of me. Let's hold a martial arts tournament, restricting participation to those below the sixth rank and under twenty years old. If he wins, I can go on a date with him, and even give him the right to pursue himself... Oh, and challengers can be either male or female, how about that?"

Ji Xiuyu quickly came up with a plan and finally decided on this one.

There are still some details that haven't been perfected, and he can't take care of the meals all by himself, so let's just let this matter spread for now.

"We'll settle everything at the arena a week from now. Let's stop fooling around now, okay?" Her expression was somewhat timid and slightly embarrassed, as if what she was doing was something shameful.

Bai Ke and Andrei were also surprised that Ji Xiuyu would suddenly say such a thing. The arrangement seemed to have no problems, and after exchanging a glance, the two accepted it.

Hmph, you just wait for me at the arena a week from now.

Neither of them would yield to the other, but neither of them had any idea what this seemingly innocent "girl" was really thinking.

Chapter 241: Oh dear, what am I thinking? How embarrassing!

News of the maid service spread like wildfire, and almost everyone involved in the festival knew that a week after the school festival, there would be a public martial arts tournament, and the winner would have a wonderful story with Hime Hideyu.

Regardless of whether they win or not, the sheer hype surrounding this event is enough to attract attention. Even just getting a chance to appear on stage would be a great thing.

Although participation is limited to players at or below the sixth rank, this very limitation means that everyone has a chance to win.

Furthermore, the fact that it's not limited to either gender is a good thing. It's not just men who like Hime Hideyu; there are definitely quite a few women as well. It's just that they generally don't show it so obviously or actively, so not many people know about it.

The message, spreading like a passing hurricane, overshadowed everyone else at the school festival.

Ji Xiuyu is incredibly famous among the trainees. Who wouldn't like such a "beautiful girl"? Who wouldn't want to have her?

The other two main characters, Andrei and Bai Ke, have become completely relegated to the background, with very few people mentioning them. Only when Ji Xiuyu is mentioned can people have something to talk about.

It has to be said that young people are great; they are full of energy, and their passion for pursuing the people they like is unmatched by others.

Knowing that her words would cause a storm, Ji Xiuyu did not regret it.

Bai Ke and Andrei are definitely not isolated cases; there must be a large group like them. They are just the most proactive ones. In order to stop them from continuing like this, Ji Xiuyu decided to use this incident to at least make most of them back down.

He was no longer the person he used to be. Rather than feeling secretly pleased about this pursuit, he hesitated to get too close to them, lest something go wrong.

"Young Master, what you're doing might solve a problem, but it's more likely to cause new trouble." In the kitchen, Ji Xiuyu was placing some food on plates when Ziqing stood behind him and reminded him.

"Qing'er, you should know exactly what I'm thinking and... what I'm going to do right now." Turning back to look at her, Ji Xiuyu said softly, "Everyone has to be responsible for their own actions, and I'm no exception. It's time to put an end to the trouble I caused in the past. Otherwise, if I keep dragging this out, it will eventually harm me one day."

His voice was a little low, as if he didn't like the matter itself.

Ultimately, it's hard for anyone to feel happy if they're treated like this.

It was already remarkable that Ji Xiuyu was able to restrain himself from taking any more drastic actions, because with his current strength, even if he killed Bai Ke and the other two, or punished them even more severely, no one would say a word.

In a world where strength reigns supreme, all good and evil are determined by humans.

“Young Master, being popular is a rare thing. Even if you don’t like it, you can’t make others not like you. To do that, you would have to have no charm at all. But I think that’s not the Young Master I know.”

She walked behind him, opened her arms and hugged his waist, and whispered.

"Hey, Qing'er, didn't you dislike me being spied on or having others want something from me? Why are you saying this now?" Ji Xiuyu didn't quite understand what Zi Qing was thinking. In her opinion, what he was doing seemed inappropriate.

"You're wrong, young master. I never said that people can't like you. On the contrary, the more people who like you, the happier I am. As long as you're still by our side, there's no problem. If they like you, they can either come or leave. It's that simple."

"What I hate is when people use the excuse of liking you to do things that hurt you. What's even worse is when they try to take you away from us and make you theirs alone. I absolutely cannot allow that to happen, and I can't accept it. That's why I hate them, not because they like you."

After Zi Qing explained it this way, Ji Xiuyu understood, but he still decided to do it anyway.

"I understand your thoughts, but I've still decided to hold this competition, and the arrangements will be even more meticulous, so that these people won't need to come looking for me again." Having experienced so much in such a short time, it's impossible for Ji Xiuyu not to be tired.

Or rather, it was precisely because he felt tired that he made this decision.

Noticing someone enter, Zi Qing released her hand and walked to his side, pretending to help him choose something. She also changed her address: "Miss, if that's what you think, then we'll help you. You don't like being constantly pursued by these people, making a fuss and making you unhappy. So we'll make sure that those who are eliminated will forever lose the right to pursue you again. That way, things will be much quieter."

Liu Qingli, who had just walked in from outside, was initially hesitant, but upon hearing these words, she immediately felt relieved.

She had been misunderstanding Xiuyu all along. Xiuyu had never thought about what being popular would mean; instead, she was constantly troubled by it. She didn't want anyone to bother her, nor did she want any benefit from it. All she wanted was a peaceful and serene existence.

It was precisely for this peace that Sister Xiuyu made this decision, to solve the problem once and for all, so that these unworthy people would no longer pursue her and disturb her life.

He's capable, good-looking, has an excellent background, a likable personality, is knowledgeable, and doesn't compete with others...

Ah, the more I think about it, the more charming Sister Xiuyu becomes. If I didn't already have Brother Tiancheng in my heart, I would definitely fall for her even if we were of the same sex.

Oh dear, what am I thinking? How embarrassing.