After Unbinding the Simp System, I'm Targeted by the Villain - Chapter 10

Yu Chucheng stopped in his tracks, his eyelid twitching.

Duan Huaijin?

How could he be here? Was it just someone with the same name?

He heard the two girls mention a class reunion, and then they mentioned Qi Rui…

Yu Chucheng searched frantically through his memories until he finally remembered where he had seen the name Qi Rui.

In the original book, he had seen that name on a headstone in the Kyoto Public Cemetery.

The Qi family had been in the real estate business in the early years. Later, when housing prices plummeted, the family wanted to pivot to foreign trade and tried to curry favor with the Yu family to learn the ropes.

Qi Rui was the only son of the Qi family. Although high hopes were placed on him to inherit the family business, he was a ne’er-do-well who spent his days in debauchery. Later, he died mysteriously; the doctor said he had overindulged in carnal pleasures until his inner vitality was completely depleted. The Qi family was devastated, clearly unable to accept such a result.

The book glossed over Qi Rui’s death, merely mentioning that the Yu family attended his funeral.

And now, a dead man’s name from the book had suddenly reached his ears. Yu Chucheng felt a chill run down his spine, leaving his scalp tingling with dread.

His fingers gripped the wall tightly as he forced himself to stay calm.

Wait… those girls were saying Qi Rui was targeting Duan Huaijin. Could it be that Duan Huaijin remembers this grudge and has him killed years later?

Yu Chucheng sucked in a cold breath, wanting nothing more than to flee this place of conflict.

After picking up the supplies at the internet cafe last time, he had decided to make a clean break from Duan Huaijin. He wanted to pretend he hadn’t heard anything today—what did someone else’s life or death have to do with him?

But he had only taken two steps when—

Bang!

The door to the private room on the left was suddenly thrown open, and several panicked girls ran out.

As the door swung wide, Yu Chucheng couldn’t help but see what was happening inside.

The coffee table in front of the sofa was covered with various types of alcohol—liquor, beer, all with high alcohol content. The boys in the room were playing a card game where the loser had to drink as a penalty.

However, the cards had been rigged by Qi Rui beforehand. Every time, the person who lost was Duan Huaijin. Five or six empty glasses already sat before him under the pressure of the group.

“Drink up. You lost again.” Qi Rui pushed a glass of hard liquor toward Duan Huaijin.

Duan Huaijin stood up. “You cheated.”

Exposed, Qi Rui didn’t bother to make an excuse; instead, he admitted it outright. “So what if I did? Are you going to drink or not?”

Duan Huaijin listened to the dialogue—exactly the same as in his past life—and knew exactly what Qi Rui would do next. But he still answered decisively, “I’m not drinking.”

Qi Rui grabbed a glass and stood up abruptly.

Before Yu Chucheng could react, Qi Rui splashed the entire glass of alcohol onto Duan Huaijin’s face.

The surrounding classmates froze. Someone couldn’t stand it anymore: “Qi Rui, what are you doing?”

The hair on Duan Huaijin’s forehead was soaked. Liquid slid down his nose to the tip, dripping into his slightly open collar.

Qi Rui looked as if he were admiring a piece of art, mocking him openly. “So ungrateful. I guess I have to ‘invite’ you to drink.”

Yu Chucheng saw Duan Huaijin standing there motionless. His expression was indifferent, like a proud, lonely crane, but his fingers were clenched so tightly his nails nearly bit into his palms.

Suddenly, Yu Chucheng’s chest felt tight. It was as if his heart had been pricked by something, making it hard to breathe.

Those girls were right—Qi Rui was taking it way too far. Just because his family was the wealthiest in the class, he thought he could trample on someone else’s dignity.

Duan Huaijin didn’t even know his true heritage yet; he thought he was poor and had to endure this humiliation. Even if Duan Huaijin did many bad things years later, what had he done wrong now?

Yu Chucheng gripped his phone, pushed aside the person blocking his way, and marched in. “Qi Rui, you bully people like this—aren’t you afraid of karma?”

Qi Rui had intended to insult Duan Huaijin further, but his words were cut off. He squinted at Yu Chucheng. “Who are you?”

Duan Huaijin lifted his wet eyelashes, his ink-black pupils reflecting Yu Chucheng’s figure.

Yu Chucheng walked straight to Duan Huaijin’s side and grabbed his arm. “I’m a model citizen who draws his sword when he sees injustice.” He paused, adding meaningfully, “I’m also here to save your life.”

“Heh, who are you trying to scare?” Qi Rui clearly didn’t believe him.

Yu Chucheng couldn’t be bothered to explain. He grabbed Duan Huaijin’s hand. “Let’s go.”

“Did I say you could leave?” Qi Rui had been drinking, and the alcohol was hitting him now; his cheeks were flushed a deep red.

The former Class Monitor stepped forward with a frown to stop him. “That’s enough. Don’t take it too far.”

But now that high school was over, who listened to him? Qi Rui shoved him aside, making him stumble. “Get lost! This is none of your business.”

The other classmates hurried to help the monitor, glaring at Qi Rui with suppressed rage.

The Qi family was rich and powerful; they were ordinary people who couldn’t afford to offend him. Even in school, Qi Rui had used his background to be the school bully.

No one had invited him to this reunion today, but he had somehow heard about it and shown up uninvited to harass the top student, Duan Huaijin.

Duan Huaijin looked down at the hand holding his.

Yu Chucheng’s palm wasn’t rough or hard like most boys’; instead, it was warm and soft. His hand was small, but his fingers were exceptionally long, the knuckles slightly prominent and tinged with a faint pink.

The door to the room was blocked by Qi Rui’s two lackeys. Yu Chucheng clenched his fist. “Haven’t you heard that ‘good dogs don’t block the way’?”

The two lackeys didn’t budge.

Behind them, Qi Rui swayed as he walked over, holding a beer bottle. He let out a contemptuous laugh. “I only know that meddlers die fast!”

The beer bottle suddenly swung through the air toward Yu Chucheng’s head.

Yu Chucheng only heard the sound of the swing. His pupils shrank, and before he could turn around—

Thud—Crash!

Duan Huaijin forcefully pulled Yu Chucheng behind him and raised his arm to block the falling bottle.

The beer bottle shattered instantly. The remaining beer splashed onto the floor as glass shards flew in every direction. Duan Huaijin was wearing a short-sleeved shirt; a bloody gash was sliced across his forearm, and crimson blood began to flow slowly down the lean lines of his arm.

If that hit had landed on someone’s head, they’d likely be in the hospital for emergency surgery.

“Duan Huaijin! You… you’re injured.” Yu Chucheng hadn’t expected Qi Rui to be so insane—striking him without a word. His breath hitched, and his heart hammered in his chest.

“I’m fine.”

Duan Huaijin lowered his hand as if he couldn’t feel pain, seemingly indifferent to the wound on his arm.

Qi Rui was blinded by alcohol; the smell of blood only made him more excited. “You’ve got thick skin, don’t you?”

Yu Chucheng looked at Qi Rui with lingering fear, realizing he had made things too simple.

Qi Rui really was trash—a cancer to society the moment he left school. No, he’d been a cancer back in school, too. With this kind of cold-blooded bullying, it was no wonder the villain hated him for so long.

Qi Rui raised the broken beer bottle, the sharp jagged glass glinting with a cold light.

Yu Chucheng’s heart tightened.

Shit. Does this bastard want to stab someone?

Yu Chucheng’s grip on Duan Huaijin’s fingers tightened. He wanted to pull Duan Huaijin away—even if they couldn’t get out, they couldn’t just stand there as targets.

However, in the next second, Qi Rui’s expression suddenly changed.

He abruptly dropped the broken bottle. It was as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat; his face turned a dark purple, and he bent over uncontrollably, pounding his chest frantically.

This is…

Yu Chucheng looked at the others in the room. Everyone was covering their noses and mouths. The Alphas, in particular, looked terrible—stiff and unable to move, as if under an invisible pressure.

Duan Huaijin had released his pheromones.

A surging, powerful scent of bamboo leaves permeated every corner of the room, instantly enveloping everyone.

This was the first time Yu Chucheng had smelled Duan Huaijin’s pheromones—it was fresh, pleasant, and refreshing. However, except for him, no one in the room could stand properly. They looked as if they were being pinned to the floor by a giant, invisible hand.

Qi Rui couldn’t breathe, letting out desperate “ghgh” sounds from his throat.

An Alpha furthest from the door gasped with a deathly pale face: “This is… S-Rank pheromones…”