After Unbinding the Simp System, I'm Targeted by the Villain - Chapter 37

“Duan Huaijin, what are you looking at?”

Yu Chucheng had been walking side-by-side with Duan Huaijin, but as he strolled along admiring the scenery, he had unconsciously pulled ahead by two or three paces.

The rain from the previous night had brought a rare coolness to Kyoto.

Yu Chucheng stood a short distance away and looked back. The sunlight filtered through the tops of the trees lining the path and spilled over him, making him look exceptionally warm and radiant.

Just like that night when they first met in his past life.

Duan Huaijin’s heart stirred slightly. He stepped forward to catch up. “Nothing. Let’s go.”

That afternoon, after Duan Huaijin returned from the summer resort, Lin Mei and Duan Haixiang were both at home.

Lin Mei had prepared a lavish spread of food. She and Duan Haixiang sat at the table in silence until the moment Duan Huaijin opened the door; only then did she abruptly stand up.

Before Duan Huaijin could even speak, Lin Mei acted completely out of character, stepping forward to grab his arm and lead him to the table. “Where have you been these past two days? Your father and I have been looking for you for ages.”

Duan Huaijin glanced at the hand gripping him, expertly hiding the loathing in his eyes. He didn’t answer her; instead, he feigned ignorance and asked, “Mom, is today an important day?”

Lin Mei felt more uncomfortable than if she had swallowed a fly. Today was the day Zhang Hanzhou had blocked her, and the root cause of all of it was Duan Huaijin.

But for Zhang Hanzhou’s sake, she had to keep Duan Huaijin steady, spinning the best lies possible to prevent him from becoming suspicious.

“Ah, your grandmother was discharged from the hospital today. Your father and I were so happy we cooked a few extra dishes.”

Duan Huaijin followed her lead with apparent understanding. “I see. So, you locked me at home yesterday because you didn’t want me to worry about Grandma? Is that why you deliberately didn’t take me with you?”

Lin Mei froze. She hadn’t expected Duan Huaijin to come up with an excuse for her. She nodded frantically. “Yes! That’s exactly what your father and I meant. It’s good that you understand. I was worried you’d be overthinking things at home.”

The logic was full of holes, but only those who desperately wanted it to be true would believe it.

“I see. It seems I misunderstood you both before.” Duan Huaijin gave a meaningful smile. Watching Lin Mei and Duan Haixiang’s emotions shift with his every expression gave him a surge of dark pleasure.

Seeing how sensible Duan Huaijin was being, Lin Mei didn’t dare press him further on where he had been yesterday. She hurriedly beckoned him, “Come, come, eat. These are all your favorites.”

Duan Huaijin scanned the meat dishes on the table—the kind that usually wouldn’t appear even once every two weeks. Before picking up his chopsticks, he pointedly poured a glass of water and placed it in front of Lin Mei. “You’ve worked hard, Mom.”

The rippling plain water reflected Lin Mei’s illusory shadow like a demon-revealing mirror. She was in no mood for water, but Duan Huaijin was watching her with a faint smile on his lips.

Lin Mei slowly picked up the glass. At the moment her lips touched the rim, Duan Huaijin’s smile deepened.

He looked just like a child who understood his parents’ well-meaning intentions and sympathized with their hardships.

But Lin Mei felt her skin crawl. She was the one who knew the whole truth, so why did she have the hallucination that she was being played like a puppet in the palm of his hand?

* * *

With the start of the semester and military training, Yu Chucheng stayed dutifully at school for a week after returning.

Regarding the incident with the men in black at the resort, Zhang Hanzhou didn’t mention it and Yu Chucheng didn’t ask. If it really was Zhang Hanzhou’s doing, he wouldn’t admit it even if asked.

But what bothered Yu Chucheng was: if Zhang Hanzhou really was the mastermind, why would he target Duan Huaijin?

Logically, Duan Huaijin’s true identity hasn’t been exposed yet. Aside from a transmigrator like himself and the foster parents, no one else should know…

“Wait.” Yu Chucheng’s brain felt like it had been hit by lightning. “The foster parents!”

Though Yu Chucheng was tied up with school, he had the power of money. He immediately hired a private investigator to keep a constant watch on the movements of Duan Huaijin’s foster parents.

However, under the mental torture of the daily commute and the physical agony of military training, Yu Chucheng’s body staged a serious protest.

He developed insomnia—the kind that lasted for several nights in a row.

The double exhaustion made his body tired, and his eyelids wanted to droop every time he hit the bed, but his nervous system was abnormally hyped. He often spent whole nights unable to fall asleep.

Yu Chucheng tried everything, from staring at the ceiling and counting sheep to shifting into every possible position. Finally, on the fifth day, he broke down. He called the family doctor behind Yu Jingchen’s back.

“What is going on? Why is my body being so anti-human lately?” Yu Chucheng asked listlessly, sporting two dark circles under his eyes.

After the doctor measured his Omega hormones and pheromone concentration, his tense expression relaxed. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing major. Your insomnia is because you’ve developed a pheromone dependency. This is likely related to your recent temporary marking.”

“What?!” Yu Chucheng was gobsmacked. “What even is that?”

“Pheromone dependency is a very normal physiological phenomenon. A temporary mark between a high-compatibility Alpha and Omega can easily make the Omega dependent on the Alpha’s pheromones. It also increases the Alpha’s protective instinct toward the Omega. We call it ‘Bidirectional Syndrome.'”

The doctor’s words swirled in Yu Chucheng’s head like a chant. The only thing he cared about was how to get better; he just wanted a good night’s sleep.

“So what do I do?”

The doctor said, “It’s simple. Just spend more time with that Alpha, or keep items carrying their pheromones nearby to alleviate the symptoms. This is a form of ‘unblocking’ therapy.”

Yu Chucheng rejected it immediately. “No way. Just prescribe me some medicine. I don’t want therapy; I want to solve the problem at the root.”

The doctor spread his hands helplessly. “My dear Young Master, I told you, this isn’t a disease. It’s perfectly normal. The root lies within yourself. As long as you can endure it and overcome it, the symptoms will naturally vanish.”

Perhaps seeing Yu Chucheng’s “ready to die” expression, the doctor paused and added, “If you really can’t handle it, you could collect some of the other party’s pheromones. I can help you turn them into an extraction liquid, so you can just sniff a drop or two every day.”

Yu Chucheng stared blankly. “Isn’t that just being a pervert?”

Besides, relying on people is unreliable. He’d just have to endure it himself. He didn’t believe it—if he endured for ten days or two weeks, even if he died of exhaustion, he wouldn’t surrender to this “dependency syndrome.”

Yu Chucheng made his heroic vow, but in less than half a day, that flag toppled over.

In the middle of the night, lying in bed, Yu Chucheng’s heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The gland at the back of his neck felt itchy, but the itch was buried under the skin; no matter how he scratched, he couldn’t reach it.

Frustrated, he sat up. He opened Duan Huaijin’s WeChat countless times only to close it again.

How was he supposed to say this to Duan Huaijin?

“Hey bro, I’m kind of addicted to your smell. Can you let me sniff you a bit?”

Yu Chucheng threw on a jacket, intending to find Ji Zhou to verify if it had to be Duan Huaijin. As far as he knew, Ji Zhou was an A-Rank Alpha, which was also quite rare. He didn’t know if only Duan Huaijin’s pheromones worked, or if any Alpha would do.

“It’s the middle of the night, aren’t you sleeping?” Ji Zhou opened his door with “bird’s nest” hair, yawning repeatedly.

When he saw the dark circles under Yu Chucheng’s eyes, he let out a “Pfft.” “Are you cosplaying a panda tonight?”

Yu Chucheng rolled his eyes. “Cut the crap. Release some pheromones; I need to confirm something.”

“Confirm what?” Ji Zhou was curious, but he controlled the amount and obediently released a little.

Ji Zhou’s pheromones were a sweet and sour orange scent. Usually, Yu Chucheng liked oranges.

But he took two light sniffs, and then his back suddenly arched—

“Blergh!”

Ji Zhou, who had been quite confident in his own personal charm, froze on the spot. He stared at Yu Chucheng in disbelief; the ship of their friendship had just capsized.

“No! Yu Chucheng!!” Ji Zhou’s indignant and amused interrogation exploded in the hallway. “There are a million ways to insult me, but did you really have to drag me out in the middle of the night just to vomit in my face?!”