After Unbinding the Simp System, I'm Targeted by the Villain - Chapter 11

Unlike the gentle and warm Omega pheromones, Alpha pheromones are born for suppression and confrontation, governed by a much stricter hierarchy.

In primitive societies without established status, a lower-level Alpha was completely crushed under the feet of a higher-level Alpha. This pheromone suppression has persisted to this day, hidden within the human genetic sequence, forcing an instinctive surrender to higher-ranking Alphas.

Duan Huaijin stared down at Qi Rui.

The latter was flushed red, cold sweat pouring down his face; he had sobered up significantly from the shock.

Duan Huaijin gradually withdrew his pheromones. As the pressure in the room lifted and air flooded back into their lungs, many people choked, bending over to cough violently.

It turned out Duan Huaijin possessed S-Rank pheromones. However, in a modern society ruled by law, using pheromone suppression can be classified as assault, which is why he usually avoided it.

Seeing that Qi Rui’s two lackeys at the door had relaxed their guard, Yu Chucheng immediately pushed the door open, grabbed Duan Huaijin, and fled the scene.

“Let’s find a place to treat your wound first.” Yu Chucheng walked with long, rapid strides. He was a bit squeamish about blood; his jaw was tight, and he didn’t dare steal a second look at the injury.

Duan Huaijin noticed that the palm holding his hand was slightly damp with sweat. “I have to say thank you again today.”

Yu Chucheng’s back stiffened, but he didn’t stop. “No need. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be in the hospital by now. I should be the one thanking you.”

His voice was muffled, and his chest felt heavy.

What a disaster. After all that effort to stay away, he was still tangled up with the villain. But Duan Huaijin was just too pitiful; he couldn’t just stand by and watch.

“There’s no need for thanks. It’s what I should have done.”

Duan Huaijin had been forced to drink a lot today. As he spoke, a trace of alcohol mixed with the lingering, crisp scent of bamboo around him.

Yu Chucheng’s breath hitched.

Perhaps the KTV’s air conditioning was failing, or maybe the weather was just too muggy, but he felt a sudden surge of heat rise up his back.

At the same time, Shen Rong was accompanying Hao Jia out to find the restroom. They had lost their way in the corridor and happened to see Yu Chucheng pulling Duan Huaijin out the KTV’s main entrance.

“Well! I was wondering why that Yu guy suddenly gave up on pursuing you—turns out he found a new favorite!” Shen Rong wanted to rush forward in a rage to demand an explanation.

Hao Jia’s hands trembled as he held him back. “Don’t… who Chucheng likes is his business. We have no right to interfere.”

“But he’s clearly ‘riding a donkey while looking for a horse’ (using someone as a placeholder)! He liked you so much he was practically impossible to drive away. Unless he found someone he liked more, there’s no way he would just abandon you.”

“B-but… Chucheng said he likes the cute and gentle type. That person just now was clearly…” Hao Jia trailed off.

That guy just now was taller than Yu Chucheng, with sharp features and an intense gaze fixed on Yu Chucheng. He was fundamentally not the type Yu Chucheng claimed to like.

“Forget it, Hao Jia. Stop making excuses for him. A man’s heart changes faster than you can flip a page. He’s just a scumbag.” Shen Rong pulled Hao Jia back.

But Hao Jia had a faint feeling that things weren’t as simple as Shen Rong made them out to be. His legs felt like lead, making every step a struggle.

* * *

Outside, thunder and rain clashed together. The gloomy sky weighed down on Kyoto, punctuated by flashes of lightning that looked ready to collapse the heavens.

By contrast, the small clinic smelling of disinfectant felt reassuringly cozy.

The doctor disinfected Duan Huaijin’s wound and asked Yu Chucheng to grab the gauze from the shelf.

“Oh, okay.”

Yu Chucheng found the gauze, but when he turned around, he saw Duan Huaijin holding a small gift box, looking down at it.

Why does that box look so familiar?

Yu Chucheng patted his empty pocket. “!”

It really had fallen out of his pocket.

Duan Huaijin didn’t open it; he just stared quietly at the gold-stitched initials on the box.

“Wait!” Yu Chucheng suddenly realized something and lunged forward to snatch the box.

But it was too late. Duan Huaijin softly read the text aloud:

“YCC and HJ.”

Yu Chucheng: “…”

If a crack had opened in the floor at that moment, he would have jumped in without a word and sealed it shut with cement.

Damn that Ji Zhou. He never should have listened to Ji Zhou’s bad advice to get the box embroidered.

Meanwhile, back at home playing games, Ji Zhou sneezed several times in a row. He looked left and right from his gaming chair. “Who’s missing me this much?”

In the clinic, Duan Huaijin’s thumb brushed over the letters as he handed the ring box back to Yu Chucheng. “A gift from someone?”

Yu Chucheng scratched his nose in extreme embarrassment. “It’s a friend’s. I’m just keeping it safe for him.”

Duan Huaijin murmured, “A friend?”

“Uh, yeah!” Yu Chucheng hurriedly stuffed the box back into his pocket and sat down next to Duan Huaijin in a blatant attempt at a cover-up. “Let me help you with the bandage. It’s hard with one hand.”

No way was he going to admit the ring was a gift he bought for someone else, only to be rejected and have it returned in public. He still had his dignity to consider.

Seeing that Yu Chucheng didn’t want to talk about it, Duan Huaijin didn’t press further.

However, he knew perfectly well that those initials stood for Yu Chucheng and Hao Jia.

Does he love Hao Jia that much?

Yu Chucheng kept his head down, unable to see the flash of gloom and doubt in Duan Huaijin’s eyes.

The gauze was wrapped gently around the wound. Though Yu Chucheng was usually a bit careless, he was meticulous when he focused. His fingertips wound the gauze, tying a standard knot that was neither too loose nor too tight.

“All done.” Yu Chucheng admired his handiwork with satisfaction. His dark eyelashes, dampened by the mist from outside, were distinct. As he spoke, his warm breath brushed against Duan Huaijin’s skin like a feather—light and itchy.

Duan Huaijin pulled his hand back.

“It’s pouring outside. I’ll send you back,” Yu Chucheng offered.

The Yu family car was waiting right outside the clinic. It was impossible to hail a cab in this storm. Seeing Duan Huaijin’s clothes stained with wine and his hair half-soaked, Yu Chucheng couldn’t bear to leave him here alone.

Inside the car, Duan Huaijin looked out the window.

He hadn’t expected Yu Chucheng to appear at that KTV. He had gone there to talk to a former classmate about something. Although an “accident” happened and he left with Yu Chucheng before the event ended, he had successfully gotten the contact information he needed, so it wasn’t a wasted trip.

However… he could have dodged that glass of wine Qi Rui threw at him.

But at that split second, he had seen Yu Chucheng standing at the door out of the corner of his eye and changed his mind.

Duan Huaijin tilted his head back slightly, his fingers inadvertently touching the gauze on his arm, fiddling with the butterfly knot.

Yu Chucheng pretended to be deeply interested in the rain streaking across the window, but he was secretly peeking at Duan Huaijin.

Duan Huaijin was tall with long legs; his frame had already begun to take on the silhouette of an adult Alpha. The limited space in the backseat was clearly a bit cramped for his long legs.

Yu Chucheng took a quick peek and then retracted his gaze, his mind sinking into a dilemma.

He was a transmigrator who knew Duan Huaijin’s true identity. Should he tell him the truth now?

But what if telling him now caused him to “blacken” immediately? After all, he’d already suffered through years of hardship.

In the original book, Duan Huaijin’s ending after he blackened was terrible. Yu Chucheng didn’t know what the consequences would be if he recklessly changed the plot. If Duan Huaijin ended up dying because of something he said, he’d probably live with that guilt forever.

It seemed Qi Rui was right: meddlers die fast.

If he hadn’t been so “kind-hearted” in the internet cafe bathroom, he wouldn’t be this restless now. Even if he wasn’t dead, his brain cells were being worked to death.

After a thirty-minute drive, the car stopped at the entrance of an old neighborhood.

The roads in the old district weren’t wide to begin with, and with several motor-tricycles parked crookedly on both sides, the Yu family car couldn’t get in.

“Just stop here. I’ll walk the rest of the way,” Duan Huaijin said.

Thunder rolled outside. Looking at the torrential rain, Yu Chucheng thought for a moment and handed his jacket to Duan Huaijin. “There’s no umbrella in the car. Use this over your head. The doctor said the wound can’t get wet.”

Duan Huaijin obediently took the jacket, which still carried a fresh fragrance. He whispered, “Okay.”