I’m a Villain! Why Are You Trying to Date Me?

Chapter 36: What a Coincidence! Lin Tian and Xuan Yuan Qingya Meet!

Bali Street Antique Market was a well-known, large-scale antique market—one of the top-ranked among several major cities, including Licheng, Xingcheng and Huancheng.

Naturally, the daily foot traffic here was massive.

Lin Tian walked carefully through the crowd, eyes scanning in every direction, ears alert to every sound, cautiously moving forward as he searched for the so-called Xue Antique Shop.

But Bali Street was practically overflowing with antique stores—finding a specific one wasn’t going to be easy.

After a while, Lin Tian’s eyes were practically spinning from all the signs, yet he still hadn’t found it. He had no choice but to start asking people around him.

Unfortunately, after asking several vendors, none of them had ever heard of that shop. A trace of anxiety crept into Lin Tian’s heart.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the market, Xuan Yuan Qingya and Jiang Yifeng had just stepped into Bali Street Antique Market as well.

The moment the divider lowered, Xuan Yuan Qingya caught the lustful look in Jiang Yifeng’s eyes. Even just walking beside him made her feel thoroughly uncomfortable.

If this outing hadn’t primarily been about choosing a gift for her great-grandfather, rather than accompanying Jiang Yifeng, Xuan Yuan Qingya would’ve turned and left on the spot.

At this point, to avoid letting those disgusting eyes fall on her again, Xuan Yuan Qingya deliberately slowed her pace, letting Jiang Yifeng walk ahead.

The two of them continued making their way into the antique street.

Xuan Yuan Qingya had been here before. The “Uncle Yao” whom Xuan Yuan Xing had mentioned was actually a fairly well-respected elder in this antique street.

After a few turns, they arrived in front of the Yao Antique Shop.

Back in the car, Jiang Yifeng had already failed to find any opportunity to grow closer to Xuan Yuan Qingya. Now that they were off the vehicle, he naturally tried even harder to curry favor — but given that her first impression of him was already terrible, and she had just caught that lustful glint in his eyes, how could she possibly give him the chance?

Jiang Yifeng tried to strike up conversation several times, only to be coldly brushed off each time. Eventually, he gave up on speaking altogether.

Knowing full well that things wouldn’t go smoothly with Xuan Yuan Qingya either, Jiang Yifeng was filled with frustration!

He had been snubbed by Shang Chan, rebuffed by Bai Bing’er, and now — even after relying on his master’s name as the Sage Doctor and calling in a sizable favor to get this visit to the Xuan Yuan family — things were still going awry!

Before coming down the mountain, Jiang Yifeng had been full of ambition.

He envisioned winning over several stunning beauties, unlocking the peerless Heavenly Sacred Body, gaining immense power, and steadily ascending to the pinnacle of wealth, strength, and beauty…

This was the path he had envisioned.

And truth be told, if it weren’t for Lin Tian’s sudden appearance, Jiang Yifeng would have followed that path in the original storyline.

But now? Jiang Yifeng wasn’t just failing to bask in any kind of glorious palace life — he hadn’t even managed to unlock the first layer of his Heavenly Sacred Body!

To awaken such a peerless physique, ordinary women simply weren’t worthy.

In Jiang Yifeng’s eyes, Shang Chan, Bai Bing’er, Zhao Mengmeng, and Xuan Yuan Qingya were the only ones who currently met the requirements. But he hadn’t managed to win over a single one of them…

And not only had he failed.

Shang Chan and Zhao Mengmeng — those Zhao family sisters — had already positioned themselves as his enemies!

Even Bai Bing’er had drawn a clear line between them.

Now, the only one left with even the slightest opening was Xuan Yuan Qingya standing right before him.

With that in mind, Jiang Yifeng’s gaze darkened. Even if he had to resort to some tricks, he had to unlock the Heavenly Sacred Body as soon as possible!

For someone raised from childhood under the tutelage of a Saint Healer, there were simply too many ways to deal with women.

…

Outside the Yao Family Antique Shop, Jiang Yifeng gave a refined, gentlemanly smile in an effort to display his knowledge and poise.

“Qingya, let me help your great-grandfather pick out a gift… Actually, my master left behind quite a few antique sandalwood items back on the mountain. I didn’t bring them with me this time, but I could always choose one later and deliver it to your great-grandfather.”

Worried she might reject him, Jiang Yifeng quickly added, “Sandalwood has always been used for medical instruments. My master taught me quite a bit about it.”

Xuan Yuan Qingya gave it some thought. She really had no desire to be in the same enclosed space with Jiang Yifeng — after all, she had raised the divider in the car earlier for exactly this reason.

This woman, proud to the bone, clung to her own sense of dignity even in the smallest of matters.

“In that case, why don’t you go in and choose something yourself? I’ll wait out here.” Xuan Yuan Qingya replied coldly.

Jiang Yifeng was momentarily stunned—what did this woman mean by that?

The gift was for her great-grandfather, yet she was letting him go in alone to pick it, while she waited outside?

What he didn’t know was that Xuan Yuan Qingya wasn’t particularly close with the great-grandfather to begin with. At most, he was just one of the elders in the Xuan Yuan family. She coming here to pick out a gift was already giving him a great deal of face—did it really matter who made the actual selection?

Besides, Xuan Yuan Qingya believed Jiang Yifeng wouldn’t mess around with something like this. Since he claimed to know a thing or two about sandalwood, then let him choose.

She didn’t understand it anyway…

After pausing awkwardly at the door for a few seconds, Jiang Yifeng’s face darkened, but he still forced a smile.

“Al—alright then. Qingya, just wait here for a moment. I’ll come right out after picking something.”

“Does your great-grandfather prefer rosewood, golden sandalwood, or green sandalwood?”

Xuan Yuan Qingya waved her slender hand dismissively, her expression cold and proud, carrying an air of unapproachable elegance that kept the mundane world at bay.

“Whatever. You handle it.”

Jiang Yifeng nodded.

That final “You handle it” gave him a sliver of comfort—at least this woman was still willing to trust him, right?

…Though in truth, Xuan Yuan Qingya just couldn’t be bothered.

…

“Excuse me, do you know where Xue’s Antique Shop is?”

“Sorry, no idea.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Along the way, Lin Tian had asked several people, but none of them had even heard of Xue’s Antique Shop.

Lin Tian was close to losing it.

This was the name of a shop from the original novel! How could it be this obscure?!

The original author must’ve been nuts—finally gave a shop a name, and it turns out to be some obscure little hole-in-the-wall??

Lin Tian was exhausted, both physically and mentally, as he kept walking forward. His eyes stayed locked on the signs of shops on either side, marveling at how ridiculously massive this antique street was, and in doing so, he instinctively paid no attention to the people around him.

That’s just how people are—when you’re laser-focused on something, everything else fades into the background.

A moment later, he stopped a young man and asked again, “Hi, do you know where Xue’s Antique Shop is?”

The young man shook his head and replied, “Sorry, I don’t.”

“No worries, thanks anyway.”

Lin Tian sighed, utterly drained.

Where the hell was he supposed to find this place?!

As one of the most renowned antique markets in the region, if Lin Tian were to keep looking shop by shop, even if his eyes didn’t give out, it’d take at least half a day to find the place.

It wasn’t that Lin Tian couldn’t afford the time—it was that his original plan was to locate the shop quickly, buy the sandalwood incense box, and leave immediately!

Spending too long here could lead to all sorts of unpredictable variables—who knew what might happen?

Just as he was thinking this, a voice came from behind him—gentle yet composed, laced with a calm authority that made people instinctively feel compelled to submit.

“You’re looking for Xue’s Antique Shop?”

Lin Tian’s heart instantly leapt with joy!

Finally—someone who knew where the shop was!

He spun around immediately, only to be stunned the moment he laid eyes on the woman who had spoken.

The woman’s brows arched like distant peaks, her jet-black hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her exquisitely sculpted features gave her the air of a celestial being descended from the heavens.

No—not a celestial maiden. A queen.

Her tall, graceful figure was clad in a soft crimson dress paired with a deep black top, evoking the imposing presence of an empress straight out of a historical drama.

At first glance, it seemed like she was heavily made up, but upon closer inspection, Lin Tian realized she had only applied a striking lip gloss. Her fair, flawless skin, long lashes, and gently upturned eyes—all of it was naturally hers.

Lin Tian was momentarily stunned by her beauty, but he quickly snapped out of it.

He didn’t know this woman, had never seen her before, but in a world like this—a typical wish-fulfillment web novel—it was hard to say whether she had some connection to Jiang Yifeng.

Lin Tian knew this was a classic urban fantasy world. While it wasn’t impossible for stunning women to exist outside of the main heroines, the odds weren’t high.

Even if he had just run into a woman who easily scored ninety-nine out of a hundred in beauty, what could Lin Tian possibly do?

He wasn’t here to chase women—he was here to survive.

Lin Tian nodded, his gaze clear and devoid of any desire.

“Yes, miss… do you know where Xue’s Antique Shop is?”

…

With her personality, Xuan Yuan Qingya wouldn’t usually bother answering, even if someone asked her for directions directly. But just now, two things had prompted her to stop Lin Tian.

First, Lin Tian had been polite, and clearly anxious—he truly looked like he had something important to do at Xue’s Antique Shop. In his eyes, Xuan Yuan Qingya saw nothing offensive, only a clear, clean gaze.

Second, she was quite familiar with the shopkeeper at Xue’s Antique Shop.

She had visited this antique street multiple times before, and more than half of those trips had been to Xue’s.

The owner of that shop was actually one of Xuan Yuan Qingya’s close friends.

That’s right—it was a woman who ran it…

In a large antique market like this, a shop run by a lone woman naturally wouldn’t be some massive establishment, but it also wasn’t the kind of “insignificant little store” Lin Tian had imagined.

It was a boutique antique shop that specialized in high-end rare collectibles. Among the serious collectors and elite crowd of the Bali Street Antique Market, it was actually quite well-known.

Ordinary tourists had likely never even heard of it, as it catered to an entirely different clientele.

And given Xuan Yuan Qingya’s proud and reserved nature, it went without saying that she didn’t have many people she considered close. The owner of Xue’s Antique Shop was one of the very few she could call a true confidante—and likely the closest among them.

It was precisely for these two reasons that Xuan Yuan Qingya had spoken up to stop Lin Tian, intending to give him directions.

And in that moment when Lin Tian turned around, the subtle shift in his gaze genuinely surprised Xuan Yuan Qingya!

There wasn’t the slightest trace of lust in his eyes—at most, there was a flicker of admiration.

Even that faint glimmer of admiration was quickly suppressed, as if he instinctively knew that showing such a look in front of a stranger, especially a woman, would be impolite.

Xuan Yuan Qingya’s impression of Lin Tian improved significantly in that instant.

After all, every encounter and acquaintance between people starts with a first impression.

If the first impression is bad, there’s little chance for any meaningful development—just like her dynamic with Jiang Yifeng.

But if the first impression is good, it naturally gives both sides a subconscious desire to continue the conversation.

Just like now, between Lin Tian and Xuanyuan Qingya.

Hearing Lin Tian’s question, Xuan Yuan Qingya revealed a perfectly measured smile, her voice airy yet with a rich undertone—like the mellow fragrance of a decades-old sealed wine jar, released the moment it’s uncorked: full-bodied yet clear.

“Mhm, I know where it is… but, what business do you have with the Xue Antique Shop?”

She gently raised a slender hand with delicately manicured nails to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Hanging from her earlobe was a string of fine, jade-green earrings.

Most people only knew that jade of a pure, even color without cracks was valuable. But they didn’t realize that a piece like the one dangling from Xuan Yuan Qingya’s ear—so richly green it would still glow even when carved down to a single millimeter—was truly priceless.

That one string of over a dozen jade pieces—each could be traded for hundreds of diamonds of the same size.