You Chen's Designs on Xiao Wu

"What's wrong, brat? Aren't you usually full of energy? Why are you suddenly so quiet today? Don't tell me you're pretending to be a good little girl in front of strangers?"

"You're the one pretending to be a good little girl!"

Xiao Wu could not stand being provoked. She immediately bared her fangs and claws.

Yet while she seemed to have regained some of her usual liveliness on the surface, a trace of barely noticeable gloom lurked in her eyes.

Why did it turn out like this? I made human friends for the first time, and for the first time, I found a place to settle down in the human world... Those two happy things happened at once. They should have brought me even more happiness. What I should have gained was a peaceful time like a dream... But why did it turn out like this...?

Xiao Wu lowered her head and bit her lip. She appeared calm on the surface, but a storm raged in her heart. Why are you a member of Spirit Hall, you bastard!!!

Having completed the enrollment procedures, You Chen seemed to be trying to comfort the inexplicably dejected Xiao Wu. He took her small hand and led her toward the residence he had asked someone to purchase in advance.

Looking at the finely decorated house, much like a small villa just like his other properties, You Chen curled his lips into a faint smile.

But it was not because the beautiful large house had put him in a good mood...

It was because Xiao Wu's reaction had greatly satisfied him.

The moment he noticed the Titan Giant Ape's rampage, he had set his sights on Xiao Wu. Naturally, it was not out of any kindness.

If he could become the first friendly person she encountered after coming to the human world, someone she could regard as a friend, he would certainly leave a sufficiently deep impression in Xiao Wu's heart.

This was an idle move whose benefits far outweighed its drawbacks.

Anyone who had read the original work naturally knew about Tang San and Xiao Wu's relationship.

Having thoroughly studied the plot and analyzed its details, a major reason Xiao Wu had been so easily won over by Tang San in the original was probably the sense of closeness brought by the half-spirit-beast aura around him.

With that prerequisite, combined with the loneliness and fear she felt in the human world, it was only natural that she gradually developed feelings for Tang San under his meticulous care.

As for Tang San's feelings toward Xiao Wu, his blushing, bashful reactions toward the little loli, and the way he had regarded her more as a member of the opposite sex than as a "child" when they first met...

Too many signs showed that Tang San had fallen in love at first sight when he met Xiao Wu. Rather than saying familial affection later evolved into love, it would be more accurate to say that he realized it was love.

Of course, one brother had no place to criticize another.

If Tang San was a "true lolicon," Xiao Wu's actual age was just as heavyweight.

The only difference was that one was attracted at first sight, while the other developed feelings over time.

In this life, it was hard to say whether Xiao Wu would fall for Tang San again. But since Tang San was attracted at first sight, as long as he met Xiao Wu, there was no need to worry that he would have no thoughts about her.

He already had experience turning Yan, that simp, into a cultivation fanatic. So... turning Tang San into a simp in reverse did not seem bad either, did it?

You Chen knew very clearly what mattered most to him at present.

Improving himself went without saying.

Second was doing everything possible to hold Tang San and Bibi Dong back.

One was Tang Fozu, who would destroy Spirit Hall in the future. The other was a completely unhinged, revenge-crazed madwoman.

As for Bibi Dong, he had no particularly good method for dealing with her yet.

But Tang San...

If this had been twenty years earlier, You Chen might have considered whether it was possible to reverse Tang San's future hostility toward Spirit Hall. But now, he was no longer so arrogantly self-confident as to believe that fate and the tide of the times could be easily changed.

In fact, he had long prepared for the worst-case scenario: both Tang San and Bibi Dong would eventually become gods. Even if he were optimistic, at least one of them would become a god.

Naturally, You Chen would not easily give up on reducing the chances of them becoming gods, but his attention was focused more on "delaying" them.

You Chen's thoughts were simple. "Fine, let's say your ascension to godhood is an unchangeable destiny! Since fate is hard to change, I'll keep dragging out the process. Before you become gods, I'll accumulate as much power as possible until... I become a god too!"

You Chen was a cautious man, but he was also an ambitious one.

If he had not obtained the system, he would have followed his original plan: lie low, then retire in peace.

But since he had obtained the system, that burning ambition had begun to blaze once more...

Since he could possess power, since he had a chance to become the final victor, why should he keep hiding!?

And if he wanted to influence Tang San, Xiao Wu was the perfect piece to use.

After their time together along the way, as well as the favor of "leading the way," Xiao Wu had basically lowered her guard against You Chen.

After he revealed that he was a member of Spirit Hall, Xiao Wu's wavering further confirmed You Chen's thoughts.

Perhaps due to the effects of Friendly Candy, Xiao Wu trusted him even more than he had expected.

After arriving in Notting City, You Chen had two choices regarding Xiao Wu.

The first was to protect Xiao Wu as much as possible from being discovered by Tang Hao or Spirit Hall, while continuing to deepen her trust in him. Then, he could keep her as a reserve spirit ring or as a hostage to threaten Da Ming and Er Ming in the future.

The second was to stop deepening his bond with Xiao Wu, allow the trust accumulated during this time to settle, and focus solely on Xiao Wu's influence over Tang San.

And You Chen's choice was already clear.

If he had not mentioned that he was a member of Spirit Hall, he could have hidden it for a long time. If he naturally came clean only after Xiao Wu had completely come to see him as someone important, there was a high chance she would continue clinging to him. That would allow him to take the first path and gradually gain complete control over Xiao Wu.

Just like in the original, even though going to Spirit City to participate in the Soul Master Grand Competition was extremely dangerous for Xiao Wu, she had been unwilling to leave Tang San and still chose to go with him.

If You Chen had not brought it up himself, Xiao Wu would never have cared what force stood behind him.

Yet You Chen had deliberately pretended not to know and taken the initiative to tear through the paper window.

At this point, Xiao Wu trusted You Chen, but not to the extent of blind faith.

Even though their time together had made Xiao Wu want to believe in You Chen, she would probably still develop some resistance toward him unconsciously.

For the sake of inner peace, she would naturally seek another source of emotional support.

Simply put, the two paths were taming and free-range cultivation.

You Chen was unwilling to take the risk, especially the risk posed by Tang Hao.

The original work had not gone into detail on this matter, so it was impossible to judge whether he had not acted against Xiao Wu, another transformed spirit beast, because of his deceased wife, or because he intended to save her as a future hundred-thousand-year spirit ring for his son and thus chose not to expose her.

If it was the former, that would be manageable. But if it was the latter...

The slightest flaw could mean certain death.

So he would not choose the taming path.

He chose the free-range path, allowing Xiao Wu to form a connection with Tang San, and he would even take the initiative to help conceal Xiao Wu's true identity.

And even with the free-range path, bringing Xiao Wu "back" would be easy.

As long as he waited until Xiao Wu made new friends and no longer drifted like duckweed as she did now, he could find an opportunity to tell her that the "important figure" he had offended was none other than the current Pope, Bibi Dong—the murderer of Xiao Wu's mother.

Then, the distance born from concern would instead become the source of guilt.

He could even use Xiao Wu in the future to borrow Tang San and the forces behind him to deal with Bibi Dong.

With only a little thought, You Chen could come up with countless possible choices.

Next, all I have to do is wait for school to officially begin.