Chapter 15: The Price of Philandering

Larry slowly awoke, finding himself on an ancient tree in the desolate wilderness.

‘What happened to me? Oh, right, Ellis knocked me out.’

A wry smile touched Larry’s lips as he recalled the preceding events. Suddenly, a strange sensation washed over him—a disconcerting feeling of weightlessness.

Larry finally took stock of his predicament, realizing he was bound and suspended from the tree. Beside him, Meixia hung, still unconscious.

“Well, well, you’re awake already. So quick. Just as I’d expect from you.”

Larry turned towards the voice, his gaze meeting Ellis’s cold, unwavering stare.

Ellis rhythmically tapped her hand with the Mitchell Staff, her eyes fixed on Larry as she contemplated how to deal with this brother who had dared to harbor ill intentions toward her.

“How do you wish to die?”

Ellis still believed in democratically allowing Larry to choose his end.

“I choose to die of old age.”

As Ellis had expected, this brazen fellow would not accept punishment gracefully.

Ellis offered a highly feasible suggestion: “How about I gouge out your eyes, sever the right hand that dared to grope me, and finally snip off *that thing* of yours, and *then* you can die of old age? I’ve already made a huge concession.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit too much of a concession?! Hurry up and let me down! If you’ve got guts, let’s fight one-on-one! I won’t bully you just because you’re a woman now; I’ll even let you have one hand!”

Larry swung back and forth on the tree, yelling loudly. The ropes Ellis had used were specially treated, making them difficult to break free from by force.

Ellis’s lip twitched. Even if she let him have one hand, she still couldn’t beat Larry! Pointing the Mitchell Staff at him, she shouted, “You’re the one who took advantage of me, aren’t you?! How do you even have the nerve to suggest a one-on-one fight?!”

Ellis attempted to awaken Larry’s sense of guilt.

However, Larry scoffed, “How many times have I seen you naked since we were kids? We even went to the big public bathhouse together! What haven’t I seen? When we played together as children, I even touched your ‘little brother’! What I did these past two days is nothing!”

Ellis: “…”

His words seemed completely unproblematic. She couldn’t find a single reason to refute him.

Ellis pondered when she had started caring about such details.

Oh, she remembered—it was when Larry touched her chest last night!

This beast was grandiosely claiming he didn’t care about her body, but in reality, he was still lusting after her!

“Has your inner self become feminized now that your body has? If so, then as your brother, I’ll reluctantly take you in. Look at you, all curvy and shapely…”

Larry continued to spew death-seeking remarks.

Ellis: ‘Death penalty!’

“Indeed, you scumbag deserve divine retribution! You have a crooked heart, yet you blame me for thinking crooked thoughts?! Who made me this sensitive?! Mitchell, today we shall act on behalf of heaven!”

“Understood, angry young lady. I’ve long disliked this ugly man! I’ll keep the curse’s intensity to a minimum!”

“Water Healing!”

The elemental art, originally meant for healing, instantly boiled after Mitchell’s transformation. The clear stream of water became a greyish-black flame, firing continuous corrosive blasts towards Larry.

“Whoa, she’s serious! I’ll dodge, dodge, dodge!”

Though suspended from the tree, Larry’s body remained incredibly agile, swaying left and right, perfectly evading Ellis’s attacks.

Their commotion successfully startled Meixia nearby. She groggily opened her eyes and mumbled, “What’s going on? Why is it so noisy?”

Ellis and Larry froze simultaneously. Because Larry had stopped swaying, a ball of flame ignited the rope suspending him, burning it through.

Larry plummeted with a thud, landing headfirst on the ground with a loud crash.

This crash not only startled Meixia but also brought Ellis back to her senses. She immediately pointed her staff at Larry and loudly changed her accusation: “You faithless scoundrel! How dare you secretly philander behind my back? Tell me, how many have you found outside?”

Larry:

‘You changed too fast?! Wait, isn’t this a huge opportunity? If I cooperate with Ellis, I can finally shake off these persistent women!’

Larry immediately burst into tears, wailing, “I’m sorry, Ellis, I’m so sorry!”

This time, it was Ellis who shivered from head to toe. This guy was acting too damn well; he even managed to shed tears.

Ellis glanced at the awakened Meixia nearby. Seeing her stunned expression, a barely perceptible wicked smile touched Ellis’s lips. Larry had always maintained an upright, optimistic, and courageous image in front of them, but now it might be completely shattered.

Then, Ellis roared at Larry on the ground, “You know you’re sorry, yet you still dare to provoke these women? If it weren’t for my brother Ellis tipping me off, I still wouldn’t know you’ve been hooking up with so many women!”

“I’m sorry, I was wrong. I’ll reflect, I’ll repent, I deserve to die a thousand deaths.”

Larry, out of Meixia’s sight, sprinkled a bit of chili powder into his eyes, instantly becoming tear-streaked. He braced his hands on the ground, tears streaming freely onto the earth.

“To preserve myself for you, Ellis, I’ve been extremely careful about contact with other women. I haven’t even touched their hands, and I’ve only seen your underwear. I haven’t even been alone in a room with a woman. Ellis, you don’t know, there were four women, four beautiful and generous girls, all around me! Your brother, that beast, didn’t even help draw any fire away from me! Do you know how cautiously I’ve had to live every day?”

Larry’s move was incredibly clever. Not only did it subtly elevate Meixia and the others, letting them know they weren’t unattractive but that he was simply too loyal and a true gentleman, which was why he wouldn’t make them his girlfriends.

Sometimes, breakups are like this: if you’re too blunt, the woman might become relentless or even turn into an enemy. But if you’re a little more tactful, saying something like, ‘You’re wonderful, we’re just not compatible,’ it saves face for the other person and makes you appear more composed.

He truly was a former social elite, a seasoned old fox. The only one suffering was her, his ‘insignificant’ bad friend, because standing here was Ellis, not Ellis, so Ellis couldn’t even get angry!

Ellis’s anger flared, the fury on her face no longer feigned, yet the words that escaped her lips were: “Oh, how wonderful! The flowers at home aren’t as fragrant as the wild ones! Other women are beautiful and generous, while I’m ugly and jealous, I suppose. Since you like other women so much, then our relationship ends here. From now on, you go your separate way, and I’ll go mine! But before that, I need to vent some of this frustration!”

Ellis’s Mitchell Staff once again emitted an ominous black flame. Larry, sensing her intention, immediately teleported in front of her, knelt on one knee, and tightly gripped the hand holding her staff. “Please don’t speak of yourself that way, Ellis. You can scold me or hit me all you want, but I won’t allow you to insult yourself. In my heart, you will always be the bright moon surrounded by stars at night. No matter how beautiful the stars are, it is always you who illuminates my heart! I don’t care how others see you or appreciate you; in my eyes, you are the most beautiful goddess, my greatest love! Heaven is my witness, I speak the truth!”

Ellis was utterly stunned. Good heavens, when this guy got going, his acting was truly Oscar-worthy! Look at his expression, his movements, his posture—he truly resembled a male lead caught in an affair in a stage play.

And his deep, affectionate gaze, fixed intently on Ellis’s eyes, caused the temperature in her face to rise sharply, as if she had just emerged from a sauna.

Ellis mouthed, “If that’s the case, then let me hurt you, you hidden Casanova!”

From Meixia’s perspective, Larry appeared to be moving Ellis’s staff towards his own head, while Ellis seemed reluctant and tried to lift it away. However, the reality was entirely the opposite: Larry was desperately trying to prevent Ellis from smashing his brains in.

Larry mouthed back, “Dream on! If you’re moved, hurry up and kneel to me in surrender, then obediently go home to wash clothes, cook, and warm my bed!”

Ellis’s eyes turned cold as she spoke, “You, don’t cry! Do you think I’ll believe you just because you’re crying?!”

“I can vouch for it, Larry is telling the truth! Please forgive him! Waaah!”

Larry’s acting failed to move Ellis, but it deeply touched Meixia, the audience, who burst into tears.