After Unbinding the Simp System, I'm Targeted by the Villain - Chapter 4

“Duan as in ‘paragraph,’ Huaijin as in the idiom ‘clasping jade and holding pearls’—excellence in character and speech.”

The server lazily lifted his eyelids. The moment their gazes met, Yu Chucheng’s heart skipped a beat.

He knew why that name sounded so familiar.

Wasn’t this the name of the paranoid villain in the book?!

In this “Man-Eater” novel, the love story between the leads eventually became incredibly twisted, enduring countless hardships before they could be together—all because of this Duan Huaijin.

Duan Huaijin had a tragic background. He and the story’s protagonist actually shared a classic “switched at birth” melodrama.

The Zhang family was a famous wealthy clan in Kyoto. A maid had swapped her own child with the mistress’s baby, allowing her son—the story’s protagonist—to become the eldest Young Master of the Zhang family.

Meanwhile, the true heir, Duan Huaijin, suffered abuse from a young age. Even basic food and warmth were a struggle. Despite consistently ranking first in his classes and using his spare time to work part-time jobs to support the family, he never received a single kind look.

Duan Huaijin never understood why his parents detested him so much, or why he could never win their favor no matter how hard he worked.

It wasn’t until after he graduated and became a rising star in the business world, stirring up storms in Kyoto, that he began interacting with more people and accidentally learned the truth about the swap.

His life had been stolen for over twenty years, yet the person who stole it had the audacity to condemn him from a moral high ground, saying he shouldn’t use unscrupulous means for profit.

And so, Duan Huaijin blackened. He blackened completely.

He didn’t ask the Zhang family to recognize his ancestry; he only wanted the maid’s son to taste the pain of losing everything. He wanted revenge. He wanted to take everything the protagonist cherished—including Hao Jia.

But a protagonist has their “protagonist aura,” after all. Just as Duan Huaijin was about to leave the lead with nothing, a car accident took him out of the story.

Finishing his mental recap of the plot, Yu Chucheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.

He remembered that in the book, Duan Huaijin was dark and paranoid, possessing nothing but contempt for the “simps” drawn in by Hao Jia’s charm.

Unfortunately, Yu Chucheng was one of them.

However, the current Duan Huaijin had just finished his college entrance exams. He didn’t know about his true heritage yet. There should still be room for maneuver.

“Uh… anyway, your name is quite nice.” Yu Chucheng stiffly changed the subject, wishing he could slap his own mouth for his earlier aggression.

This was the Great Villain who would kill anyone in his way later on! Even if he hadn’t started his “blackening” phase yet, Yu Chucheng didn’t want to provoke this living deity.

Moreover, Duan Huaijin was famous for his “eye for an eye” philosophy. Once you were on his grudge list, you wouldn’t even know how you died.

However, the “Tattooed Big Brother” was still cracking his knuckles. “Boss, do you want us to take an arm or a leg?”

Yu Chucheng nearly choked on his spit. “No—no need for such violence! We can use a… a more peaceful solution.”

“Weren’t you going to settle the debt with me?” Duan Huaijin, who had been standing in the shadows, suddenly spoke up.

Yu Chucheng was screaming internally: Big Brother, why are you adding fuel to the fire?!

Could he really say he pulled out a 40-meter long blade just to peel an apple for him?

“Uh… settle the debt…” Yu Chucheng gave a dry laugh. “I suddenly remembered a fortune teller told me today is an inauspicious day to be out. Let’s settle it another day. I’m going home first.”

With that, Yu Chucheng prepared to slip away as fast as possible.

“I will take responsibility.”

That one sentence from Duan Huaijin almost made Yu Chucheng drop to his knees.

Yu Chucheng froze, thinking he was hallucinating. He turned back to see Duan Huaijin with his eyes slightly lowered, his expression looking remarkably sincere.

“I’m sorry. My rut hit that day, and I failed to control my pheromones, which hurt you. But don’t worry, I will take responsibility for you. If you feel that having someone beat me up will vent your anger, I won’t run away.”

Having said his piece, Duan Huaijin’s thin lips pressed into a tight line as he stood there quietly, as if waiting for his sentence.

Yu Chucheng: “…”

Damn, why does my conscience hurt a little?

The current Duan Huaijin was still just a poor “pitiful thing” working to save up for his tuition.

Yu Chucheng scratched his nose. “Actually, it’s not necessary. I just… sigh, forget it.”

He was just a big “unlucky sucker” with nowhere to seek justice.

It’s fine, it’s fine.

So what if I got bitten and changed my gender? No big deal, Yu Chucheng tried to soothe himself.

Perhaps because Yu Chucheng’s smile was too stiff to look like “no big deal,” Duan Huaijin said in a low voice: “Then, can I add you on WeChat? If you need help, you can call me anytime.”

Yu Chucheng just wanted to escape. Hearing this, he sighed in relief and fished out his phone. “Sure, fine.”

He’d add him for now; it wasn’t like he actually had to stay in contact with Duan Huaijin later.

After adding him, Yu Chucheng shot a look at the thugs. “What are you standing there for? Let’s go.”

The thugs were completely bewildered. Did the boss pay them big money just to stand around and watch two guys exchange WeChat? Was he so rich he had nowhere else to spend it?

They didn’t understand, but they could only respect the paycheck.

Yu Chucheng led the thugs out of the alley. The moment their backs disappeared, Duan Huaijin’s gaze darkened.

Click—!

Duan Huaijin pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit the cigarette at the corner of his mouth.

It was an automatic lighter that flipped open with a single press.

Logically, as someone who had just finished high school and was working hard to support his family, he shouldn’t be spending money on such things.

But Duan Huaijin had used this type of lighter for five or six years in his past life. He was used to it and had no desire to buy the cheap street-stall versions that weren’t windproof and were unreliable.

He tilted his head back slightly, leaning against the wall. The taste of low-quality nicotine filled his mouth—bitter, foul-smelling, and all too familiar.

Yu Chucheng…

Duan Huaijin narrowed his eyes, biting the cigarette as he repeated the name in his mind.

In his past life, he had seen Yu Chucheng a few times. Though they hadn’t interacted, the impression was deep: Hao Jia’s famous simp.

He just hadn’t expected that immediately after being reborn, he would run into his rut and accidentally trigger Yu Chucheng’s secondary differentiation.

Heh, what a coincidence. To have contact with someone by Hao Jia’s side so quickly.

Since he was reborn with the memories of his past life, it seemed even the heavens couldn’t stand it anymore and wanted to help him drag down the person who had usurped his place.

If he used this Yu Chucheng properly, this life might be much easier than the last.

Duan Huaijin’s lips curled into a thoughtful smirk, a flash of excitement flickering in his eyes before vanishing instantly.

Back in the car, Yu Chucheng had completely wilted.

He really didn’t know what sins he had committed in his past life to have such back luck in this one.

The family driver, Uncle Lin, glanced at Yu Chucheng in the rearview mirror. “Young Master, are we still going to the Happiness Apartments?”

Yu Chucheng wiped his face. “Yes. Take me there now.”

The moving company had already taken the large items this morning, but there were still many personal belongings in that “old, broken, and small” apartment that he needed to pack himself.

It was just one thing after another today, but for the sake of his future beautiful life, he would endure.

At 9:00 PM, Duan Huaijin finished his shift at the internet cafe and prepared to leave.

Just as he finished changing, the owner knocked on the door. “Our part-time wages are settled weekly. I’ve transferred last week’s pay to you. Check if there’s any issue.”

Duan Huaijin’s current phone was an old model from many years ago. The hardware was aging, and the message took a while to load.

A total of over 900 yuan.

It had been a long time since Duan Huaijin felt this “strapped for cash.”

“Received. No problem.”

“Good.” The owner leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed. After a moment of thought, he decided to speak up. “You know how it is here. We don’t have an official business license. Don’t let a situation like today happen again. If something really happens and the police get involved, it’ll be a mess.”

He had kept Duan Huaijin around because he was handsome; business had indeed improved since he started.

But he knew the difference between “one full meal” and “eating every day.” When the front desk saw the thugs today, they were ready to call the police. Luckily, he had been quick enough to stop them, though he’d broken into a cold sweat.

Duan Huaijin brushed his hair back and put on his hat. “Understood.”

Outside the cafe, the summer night was not cool. The occasional breeze that hit his face was nothing but scorching hot air.

Duan Huaijin rode his bicycle—the handlebars slightly crooked—toward a familiar direction.

That place was once what he called “home,” but now, it was merely his temporary lodging.

Passing a convenience store, he parked the bike. Even though no one would likely steal such a wreck, he still locked it.

“Hello, how can I help you?” The clerk was very enthusiastic, beaming the moment a customer walked in.

Duan Huaijin scanned the room. “Do you have suppressants and scent blockers?”

“Yes, yes. For Alphas, right? You can find them at the very back of the shelves.”

Duan Huaijin lifted his eyelids. “I want the ones for Omegas.”