After Unbinding the Simp System, I'm Targeted by the Villain - Chapter 21

It is currently August, and the water in the outdoor pool shouldn’t be very cold.

But no matter how strong the sun is, it can only warm the shallow surface; the deeper you go, the lower the temperature drops. Adding to that, Yu Chucheng had been out in the sun for a long time before jumping in. His skin was faintly burning, and the sudden contact with the cold pool water caused his body heat to drain rapidly. The sharp contrast sent a piercing chill through his bones.

Hao Jia struggled helplessly in the water. “Help… save me…” But the more he spoke, the more water he choked on.

Yu Chucheng seized the opportunity and grabbed Hao Jia’s arm, trying to tow him toward the edge. However, Hao Jia clung to him like he was the only piece of driftwood available. His survival instinct prompted him to step on this “driftwood” to push his head above the surface.

Yu Chucheng was yanked down abruptly. He managed to hold his breath just a split second before his head submerged. He knew Hao Jia was acting out of pure desperation, and since he could still hold his breath for a while, he went with the flow. He sank deeper, grabbed Hao Jia’s legs, and gave them a powerful shove upward.

After struggling for so long, Hao Jia could finally breathe freely. He gasped greedily, coughing out water from both his mouth and nose.

That should be enough.

Seeing that Hao Jia was no longer in immediate danger, Yu Chucheng surfaced and grabbed him from behind to prevent Hao Jia from pushing him under again.

Ji Zhou had already rushed to the edge. With one hand on the pool ladder, he reached out as far as he could toward Yu Chucheng.

Zhang Hanzhou tilted his head toward a servant nearby. “Go prepare two towels.”

In the pool, Yu Chucheng finally managed to get Hao Jia to the edge. He gasped to Ji Zhou, “Pull him up first.”

Ji Zhou originally wanted to pull Yu Chucheng, but seeing Hao Jia’s terrified state, he reluctantly grabbed Hao Jia’s hand instead.

Desperate to get onto dry land, Hao Jia kicked his legs out wildly. By a stroke of terrible luck, he kicked Yu Chucheng right in the waist—exactly where he had been bruised earlier.

A jolt of sharp pain surged through his body like an electric current. Yu Chucheng failed to keep his jaw clenched and let out a muffled groan. A large gulp of water rushed into his nasal cavity, making his vision go black as he sank under the weight of the impact.

“Yu Chucheng!” Ji Zhou had just pulled Hao Jia onto the deck when he saw Yu Chucheng choke, with only half an arm remaining above the water.

The pool water stung his eyes, and his eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. The icy water enveloped him. One wrong breath led to a cough, and every cough invited more water into his mouth and nose.

Just then, a figure flashed past Ji Zhou. A large, steady hand grabbed Yu Chucheng’s hand and yanked him upward with immense force.

Splash!

The person’s strength was incredible; Yu Chucheng was hauled out of the pool like a tiny chick.

“Cough, cough, cough!” Yu Chucheng clutched his soaked shirt, kneeling on the ground in a coughing fit.

In his daze, he felt a light jacket smelling of soap being draped over his shoulders. The familiar scent made his heart skip a beat. He struggled to open his wet eyelashes, his vision blurry as he looked at Duan Huaijin kneeling beside him. Because of the water in his nose, his voice sounded muffled and damp. “Why are you here?”

Ever since he left Duan Huaijin’s house that night, Yu Chucheng had been lying low at home, enjoying the good life. He had imagined ten thousand ways they might meet again, but he never expected it to be at Zhang Hanzhou’s graduation banquet.

In the book, Duan Huaijin had also gotten into Kyoto University with the highest score in the city, and he was the true young master of the Zhang family. This godforsaken coincidence was far too eerie.

Duan Huaijin reached out to tuck a wet strand of hair behind Yu Chucheng’s ear. He said in a low, heavy voice, “Don’t talk for now. Your pheromones are leaking out.”

Yu Chucheng froze. Only then did he realize his nape was faintly burning, uncontrollably radiating a sweet, cloying fragrance.

“What’s happening? Can’t you control it?” Duan Huaijin stood in a way that blocked the crowd’s view.

Yu Chucheng lifted his hand blankly, instinctively wanting to touch his neck. He didn’t know! This was his first time being an Omega; how was he supposed to know his pheromones would overflow just from saving someone in the water?

Duan Huaijin caught his wrist. “Don’t touch it.”

On the other side, Hao Jia finally recovered from the shock of falling in. Zhang Hanzhou walked over and handed him a clean towel. Hao Jia’s heart trembled as he took the towel, whispering, “Thank you.”

Zhang Hanzhou glanced at him for an extra second before turning to Yu Chucheng. “There are dry towels here. Do you need help?”

Yu Chucheng shook his head vaguely. “No…”

In truth, his thoughts were becoming a mess, and his sense of smell had suddenly become hyper-sensitive. The scent of sun-dried grass mixed with the pool’s disinfectant flooded his nose. He could smell not only Duan Huaijin’s pheromones but also Ji Zhou’s scent, and even the nearby Zhang Hanzhou seemed wrapped in a bitter black tea fragrance.

Yu Chucheng realized something was wrong. Despite being under the sun, his hands and feet felt icy, while only his glands and his breath were scalding. He felt a desperate urge to find a warmer heat source. This situation was exactly the same as when he first differentiated.

“I need to leave,” Yu Chucheng exhaled a puff of hot air, staggering as he stood up.

Ji Zhou was about to step forward, but Duan Huaijin was faster, supporting Yu Chucheng’s arm.

Yu Chucheng’s pupils were slightly unfocused. It felt as if a fire was burning in his throat. He breathed through parted lips, and it took a long moment for his vision to center. So hot.

Duan Huaijin looked down at Yu Chucheng’s water-soaked hair and damp eyes. The person who had just played the hero to save a beauty now looked utterly pitiable.

The moment Zhang Hanzhou saw Duan Huaijin clearly, his hand holding the towel froze mid-air. He had known about his true identity for a long time; there was no way he wouldn’t recognize that face.

When he learned Duan Huaijin was aiming for Kyoto University, he had applied there as well out of a sense of rivalry. The baby swap wasn’t his fault, and he couldn’t choose his birth. He wanted to prove he was no worse than the real young master—that the Zhang family hadn’t lost anything by raising him as their own.

Fortunately, he had lived up to expectations and got in. But on such a happy day, the person he least wanted to see had suddenly appeared before him. Zhang Hanzhou stood there as if he’d seen a ghost, momentarily forgetting what to say.

Duan Huaijin looked up indifferently, locking eyes with Zhang Hanzhou. Out of guilt, Zhang Hanzhou was the first to look away, though he struggled to maintain a calm expression.

“Move,” Duan Huaijin said. His tone was firm and commanding, not a request.

As if possessed, Zhang Hanzhou actually stepped aside, clearing a path. It wasn’t until Duan Huaijin and Yu Chucheng brushed past him that he snapped out of it. He felt a wave of shame and annoyance, as if he had been intimidated by Duan Huaijin. Feeling like he’d lost face, he immediately followed them. “Where are you going?”

When Duan Huaijin’s face was dark and silent, he gave off a dangerous vibe. The onlookers automatically parted for them, watching as Duan Huaijin led the unsteady Yu Chucheng toward the second floor.

Yu Chucheng’s legs were useless. If Duan Huaijin hadn’t been supporting him, he probably would have collapsed. He didn’t know what had triggered him today, but his pheromones were getting stronger and stronger; no matter how hard he tried to focus, he couldn’t rein them in. His head was getting heavier too.

Through the haze, Yu Chucheng realized Duan Huaijin had brought him into an empty study on the second floor.

How is Duan Huaijin so familiar with the Zhang house? It was as if he had lived in this mansion for years, as if he were the master of the house.

But Yu Chucheng had no time to think. After a wave of chill, he suddenly became parched. An unprovoked heat made him tilt his neck back. He reached out to toss off the jacket draped over him and looked at the only other person in the room with a plea for help.

“I’m so hot…”