After Unbinding the Simp System, I'm Targeted by the Villain - Chapter 36

Yu Chucheng was startled by the sudden darkening of Duan Huaijin’s gaze. He stammered, “W-what’s wrong?”

Even though they were both humans, he felt a strange illusion of being stared down by a predatory beast.

Yu Chucheng reached out to press against Duan Huaijin’s chest, struggling to get out. When they had squeezed in earlier, the adrenaline rush made it seem easy, but now trying to squeeze out proved to be quite painful.

Duan Huaijin’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. He raised a hand and pressed Yu Chucheng’s head back. “Shh, don’t move yet.”

Yu Chucheng’s nose pressed against Duan Huaijin’s clothes, his eyes widening slightly.

Duan Huaijin’s shirt was damp from the rain, making the skin underneath faintly visible. Although the clothes were wet, they didn’t smell of rain or mud; instead, they smelled like bamboo leaves soaked in water—the fragrance was lighter, but still very pleasant.

Outside, the footsteps of the men in black returned. They had run to the end of the path without finding a trace of Yu Chucheng or Duan Huaijin, leaving them completely baffled.

“Heavens, they were clearly running in this direction.”

“Could they be hiding in one of the houses?”

“Impossible, all the cabins here are locked.”

“Did we see wrong? How about we split up and look elsewhere?”

Yu Chucheng pursed his lips tightly, listening intently to their conversation. These men were so familiar with the resort and were all quite sturdy; they looked like the resort’s security personnel.

But why would security go after Duan Huaijin in the middle of the night? They wouldn’t do it unless they were bored to death or someone had instructed them—and Sunrise Resort was Zhang family territory.

Zhang Hanzhou?!

Yu Chucheng didn’t have time to overthink. As soon as the men in black ran off, he and Duan Huaijin scrambled out of the narrow gap.

The rain had let up significantly, leaving a fine drizzle that felt itchy on the face. Yu Chucheng had pulled Duan Huaijin along in a frantic sprint and had accidentally gone quite far; fortunately, they didn’t run into the men in black again on the way back.

Unsure if the mastermind would try to cause trouble for Duan Huaijin again tonight, Yu Chucheng knocked on Ji Zhou’s door, hoping Duan Huaijin could squeeze in with him for the night. As it turned out, Ji Zhou was sprawled across the bed, snoring loudly enough to shake the heavens—he didn’t even hear Yu Chucheng’s phone calls.

With no other choice, Yu Chucheng had to take Duan Huaijin back to his own room.

Within minutes of arriving, the doorbell rang. Yu Chucheng pressed himself against the door alertly and asked through the crack, “Who is it this late?”

Xin Yihuan’s voice came from the hall. “It’s me.”

Trusting no one right now, Yu Chucheng opened the door only a tiny sliver. “Is something the matter?”

Xin Yihuan looked ready for bed, dressed in pajamas and smelling of shower gel. “Nothing major. I just wanted to remind you to stay away from Duan Huaijin.”

Yu Chucheng suddenly found him a bit suspicious as well, so he feigned interest. “Why? Do you hate him?”

Xin Yihuan ruffled his hair. “I wouldn’t say hate, I just think he’s quite scheming. You mustn’t trust him easily.”

Xin Yihuan had been classmates with Duan Huaijin and remembered him as a cold, aloof “study god.” But ever since Duan Huaijin proactively contacted him to negotiate terms, he felt Duan Huaijin was definitely not simple.

“Oh, really?” Yu Chucheng arched an eyebrow. “Given your attitude toward him today, I thought you two had some history.”

Xin Yihuan’s face reddened. “That’s because—wait.” He suddenly noticed something was off and pivoted. “Why is there the sound of water in the bathroom? Is there someone else in your room?”

Yu Chucheng’s hand on the doorframe tightened. “Ah, I didn’t turn off the showerhead when I came out. If there’s nothing else, I’m closing the door. Bye!”

Without waiting for a response, Yu Chucheng slammed the door shut.

That was close. Since Duan Huaijin had been soaked more by the rain, he had let him shower first. Duan Huaijin just had to turn on the shower at that exact moment, nearly causing Yu Chucheng to get his hand caught in the door again.

Meanwhile, Zhang Hanzhou was pacing anxiously in his room.

The manager called him, trembling. “Young Master, they failed. They said they lost them halfway through the chase.”

Zhang Hanzhou stood by the table with a dark face, restraining his rage so he wouldn’t flip the furniture. “Useless! You’re all a bunch of useless fools! What’s the point of the Zhang family keeping you? You can’t even catch one unarmed person!”

He hadn’t intended to do anything drastic to Duan Huaijin tonight; he just wanted to knock him out and dump him outside so he wouldn’t be an eyesore. But these people couldn’t even handle a small task, just like Lin Mei, only good for causing him stress.

Hearing Zhang Hanzhou’s heavy breathing, the manager said fearfully, “Young Master, the target wasn’t alone. The team leader said there was another youth with him.”

The gloom in Zhang Hanzhou’s eyes deepened. “You didn’t do anything to that youth, did you? He’s from the Yu family. If you laid a finger on him, you can pack your bags and get out of Kyoto.”

The manager replied immediately, “No, we knew he was your distinguished guest, so we didn’t touch a single hair on his head. But it was precisely because we were wary of his presence that our men didn’t dare act immediately, which allowed the target to escape.” He did his best to clear his men of blame.

“I see.” Zhang Hanzhou took a deep breath.

After hanging up, he was swamped by waves of anger and guilt. The name “Duan Huaijin” was like a thorn stuck deep in his heart. He was so angry his fingers wouldn’t obey him and his hair was a mess—he had completely lost his usual composed and refined appearance.

But no matter how angry he was, he had to force a smile the next day and act as if nothing had happened.

Hao Jia did notice that Zhang Hanzhou’s state was a bit off. Ever since he fell in the pool at the Zhang house, Zhang Hanzhou had not only brought him a towel but also sent a servant to care for him, so he had a very good impression of him.

Seeing Zhang Hanzhou looking unhappy, Hao Jia quietly approached and asked, “Are you okay?”

Zhang Hanzhou’s mind was currently occupied with worrying that last night’s events would be exposed. It took him a second to snap out of it. “Ah, I’m fine. How did you sleep last night?”

Hao Jia smiled softly. “Very well, thank you for the hospitality.”

Far away on a lakeside pavilion, the scent of tea filled the air. Mrs. Zhang loved tea ceremonies and was currently brewing tea at her desk. From here, she had a wide field of vision, allowing her to see most of the resort’s scenery.

She saw Hao Jia walking beside Zhang Hanzhou and couldn’t help but frown slightly. The child looked well-behaved and cute, but perhaps their zodiac signs didn’t match; she didn’t like him very much.

The Zhang family had organized this gathering partly to promote the resort and partly to network for Zhang Hanzhou, allowing him to make connections that would be useful for himself and the family.

Mrs. Zhang sighed softly, her gaze instinctively searching the crowd for Yu Chucheng. She actually liked him quite a bit—both his family background and his personality were to her liking.

She found Yu Chucheng at the end of the group, walking side-by-side with another boy she hadn’t seen yesterday.

Yu Chucheng tilted his head to look at Duan Huaijin and asked worriedly, “Is your back okay?”

The sofa in the room last night was narrow and soft; a person would sink right in, making it difficult even to turn over. Even if Duan Huaijin’s back was made of iron, it couldn’t withstand sleeping on that soft sofa for a whole night while maintaining one position.

At this moment, Duan Huaijin was feeling the full effects of the muscle soreness. Every step felt like a hallucination of misaligned bones and twisted muscles, but an S-Rank Alpha’s incredible endurance and recovery meant he remained unruffled. “Don’t worry, it’s fine.”

Yu Chucheng was amazed. Damn, his back strength must be incredible.

Speaking of which, when Duan Huaijin came out of the shower last night, he thought he saw abs. How could someone be a top student and have a great physique? Then he looked at his own flat stomach, which only bulged when he was full. Life was just unfair.

Duan Huaijin pretended not to notice Yu Chucheng peeking. He looked up toward the lakeside pavilion and happened to lock eyes with Mrs. Zhang.

Because they were so far apart, Mrs. Zhang couldn’t see his features clearly, but she felt his gaze was one of intense possessiveness. She quickly lowered her eyelashes and elegantly took a small sip of tea.