After Unbinding the Simp System, I'm Targeted by the Villain - Chapter 34

Yu Chucheng froze on the spot. If we’re going mouth-to-mouth, how is that any different from kissing?

“Why has the Second Young Master suddenly gone quiet? Surely he’s not going to back out now.”

“Haha, maybe the Second Young Master thought they were the kind of Bugles from our childhood that you could stick on your fingertips.”

“Hurry up and pick someone; the next person is waiting to play.”

The crowd teased him with laughs and whistles.

Yu Chucheng was caught between a rock and a hard place. “How about I just take a penalty drink instead?”

As he spoke, he reached for the bottle of red wine on the table.

“Hey—” The person who beat Yu Chucheng wasn’t having it. He snatched the bottle away first. “Accept your loss, Second Young Master. The penalty you came up with was for me to kiss someone, and I didn’t complain, did I?”

Ji Zhou hadn’t expected the Bugles to be so tiny either. He couldn’t help but step in to mediate. “How about we both compromise? This thing is just way too different from what we imagined.”

The scene fell into a stalemate as everyone watched for Yu Chucheng’s reaction.

At that moment, Xin Yihuan stood up. “I’ll help you do the penalty.”

Everyone whirled to look at him. Xin Yihuan stepped over a canvas chair and walked up to Yu Chucheng. “Didn’t I say you could come to me if you needed help?”

Yu Chucheng’s lips twitched into a stiff grimace. “N-no thanks.”

Brother, this isn’t the kind of help I need! Besides, they’d only known each other for a day; even if there were a line, it wouldn’t be his turn!

But Xin Yihuan didn’t seem to see an issue with his offer. He stared fixedly at Yu Chucheng, seemingly waiting for him to say the word.

In the distance, a tall silhouette cut through the thick night, walking toward them. The rustling sound of sneakers on the grass grew closer, gradually drawing the eyes of everyone at the party.

Yu Chucheng’s breath hitched.

Once the figure became clear, Zhang Hanzhou slammed his hand around his glass, his grip tightening so hard even the darkness couldn’t hide the shock in his eyes.

“Sorry, sorry for the wait.”

Duan Huaijin was dressed as usual in a clean white shirt, the top two buttons undone, the hem half-tucked into his waist, his hair slightly messy.

When he spoke, he looked only at Yu Chucheng, as if he were saying it for his ears only.

Xin Yihuan looked at Duan Huaijin as if facing a great enemy, but then he reconsidered. Yu Chucheng had said earlier that afternoon that he didn’t have a partner, so Duan Huaijin was nothing. Besides, he was the one who had brought Duan Huaijin into the Zhang family banquet before.

Xin Yihuan stood his ground. “Then you’ve arrived at an awkward time. Chucheng lost a game, and we’re just about to do a penalty task.”

The way he called him “Chucheng” was intimate, but Duan Huaijin acted as if he hadn’t heard him. He looked down and asked Yu Chucheng, “What penalty task?”

Yu Chucheng didn’t know why he felt a surge of relief the moment he saw Duan Huaijin. He leaned in and whispered, “I have to feed someone a Bugle mouth-to-mouth, but I didn’t realize at first that these Bugles were so small.”

With that, Yu Chucheng held up the bag for Duan Huaijin to see.

Duan Huaijin’s gaze darkened slightly. “Isn’t this very simple?”

Yu Chucheng looked confused.

Are you kidding me? Simple?

Duan Huaijin pinched a Bugle and pressed it into the seam of Yu Chucheng’s lips. Startled, Yu Chucheng instinctively bit down on it.

Wait! Is he going to—

Yu Chucheng’s eyes flew wide, his pupils reflecting Duan Huaijin’s suddenly enlarging face.

Duan Huaijin gently tilted Yu Chucheng’s chin and leaned in.

The soft contact and the fresh fragrance that instantly filled his nose happened too fast to capture. Yu Chucheng stood there like a wooden statue until Duan Huaijin, with the Bugle caught between his teeth, announced to the crowd as if reporting a result: “Done.”

“Whoa! Awesome!”

“Holy crap, he moved so fast because he was afraid we’d see clearly!”

“666!”

Only then did Yu Chucheng snap out of it. He turned red from head to toe in an instant; he felt like steam was about to rise from the top of his head.

Ji Zhou, witnessing his two “bros” kissing, had eyes wider than eggs. But what he found even more unbelievable was that Yu Chucheng hadn’t pushed Duan Huaijin away—or rather, he had zero defenses against him.

Duan Huaijin lifted his eyes and swept a cold glance over Xin Yihuan.

Xin Yihuan’s face was like a mood ring, turning green and white by turns. He hadn’t expected Duan Huaijin to be so “dishonorable”—he could have at least given a heads-up.

Yu Chucheng didn’t know how he made it back to his seat. The moment he sat down, he began chugging iced drinks frantically. Once finished, he even popped an ice cube into his mouth, trying to cool down. Unfortunately, the effect was minimal.

He didn’t participate in any of the following games because his mind was like a projector on a loop, playing the scene over and over. He felt like someone was beating a drum in his ear, only to realize after a while that it was just his own racing heartbeat.

He instinctively pursed his lips, but suddenly realizing the action felt like he was savoring the memory, he hurriedly dumped another ice cube into his mouth.

Duan Huaijin sat next to Ji Zhou, and the two began chatting.

Ji Zhou handed Duan Huaijin a few lamb skewers. “Why didn’t you come this morning? Did something happen?”

Yu Chucheng didn’t turn his head, but his ears were perked up to eavesdrop.

Duan Huaijin took a sip of water and said vaguely, “There was an issue with the door lock at home, but it’s resolved now.”

In reality, he had been locked in his bedroom.

He had woken up around 7:00 AM this morning and prepared to wash up according to plan, but no matter how hard he pushed, the door wouldn’t open. At first, he thought the handle was just rusted and stuck, but it wasn’t until Lin Mei and Duan Haixiang got up that he realized something was wrong.

Neither of them ate breakfast at home or even went to the bathroom; they just threw on their clothes and left. They moved quietly and tiptoed, as if terrified Duan Huaijin would notice they were up.

Duan Huaijin found some tools in his room to try and pick the lock, but they weren’t very useful. He worked on it for a long time, but the lock didn’t budge.

Lin Mei and Duan Haixiang had trapped him in the bedroom all day without food or water, and they hadn’t returned. They probably didn’t plan to come back until the next day.

There was only one reason for this: for their precious biological son. Duan Huaijin guessed that Zhang Hanzhou must be feeling guilty and wary, but the more Zhang Hanzhou acted this way, the more Duan Huaijin felt he had to come.

He waited patiently in his room until evening when Yuanyuan and her Grandpa came out into the hallway. Duan Huaijin called out to them and asked the old man to help find a locksmith, who finally opened the front door and the bedroom lock.

At the thought that Lin Mei and Duan Haixiang had actually been so paranoid as to use two locks, Duan Huaijin couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.

But fortunately, he made it.

Most of the people Zhang Hanzhou invited were wealthy kids. Many wanted to befriend Yu Chucheng; seeing the subtle relationship between him and Duan Huaijin, they treated Duan Huaijin like a “bro,” exchanging contact info and clapping him on the shoulder to invite him to future hangouts.

Zhang Hanzhou grit his teeth. He had been so clear with Lin Mei; how could she fail at a simple task like watching one person? At the very least, she should have called him in advance so he could tell the resort staff to deny him entry.

Zhang Hanzhou glanced at the manager, who understood immediately. He whispered a few words into the manager’s ear and waved him away.

The manager nodded and whispered, “Understood. I’ll get right on it.”