After Unbinding the Simp System, I'm Targeted by the Villain - Chapter 7

The weekend was the busiest time for the internet cafe. Duan Huaijin had been on shift since nine in the morning and worked straight through until past six in the evening.

“Alright, you can head off for the day. Hard work,” the owner said, patting Duan Huaijin on the shoulder and signaling another employee to take over.

After all, Duan Huaijin was just a part-time worker who had just graduated high school. Even as a black-hearted boss, using someone as full-time labor without paying full-time wages eventually pricked the tiny remains of his conscience.

However, Duan Huaijin replied, “I’m volunteering for overtime. You don’t have to pay me extra. I’ll leave at nine.”

Nearby, another server with a long face was scrubbing a table. He already hated this crappy job, and now a “try-hard” had showed up to raise the bar.

The owner was equally surprised. In all his years running the cafe, it was the first time he’d met someone who didn’t want money. His face instantly broke into a wide grin, looking at Duan Huaijin as if he were a rare treasure. “If you insist on staying, I certainly won’t say no. But looking at you, I’m guessing you’re waiting for someone, just like yesterday?”

Duan Huaijin gave a low “Mm.”

Yesterday was the day he and Yu Chucheng had agreed upon. But he had worked all day and waited all day, and neither Yu Chucheng nor the friend he played games with had appeared.

Duan Huaijin guessed that Yu Chucheng might have forgotten, but he didn’t message him immediately. He was waiting—not just for the person, but for Yu Chucheng’s sense of guilt. Those were the things he wanted.

It was like fishing; if you don’t scatter some bait in the water first, how will the fish swim over on its own?

Duan Huaijin finished cleaning a station and tossed a cigarette butt left behind by a previous customer.

Bang—!

The front door of the cafe was suddenly kicked open, and a wave of summer heat rushed in.

The leader was a bald man in a sleeveless T-shirt. Tattoos snaked from his shoulders down to his chest. Though not tall, he was built like a tank of solid muscle—clearly not someone to mess with.

He tilted his head back arrogantly, his voice dripping with impatience. “Who’s the boss here?”

The owner swallowed hard. “I am. Would you like the main hall or a private room?”

A man with a thick beard standing behind the bald leader glared and shouted, “Who the hell is here to surf the web? I’m asking you, is there a guy named Duan Huaijin working here?”

Seeing they weren’t after him, the owner breathed a small sigh of relief, but a new wave of tension immediately followed. “Duan Huaijin?”

The owner hesitated, unsure if he should speak. He instinctively turned his head to steal a glance at Duan Huaijin.

That one look was all it took to expose Duan Huaijin’s position.

“Boss, found him!” The bearded man shoved the owner aside. Because of his massive frame, he knocked several chairs askew as he pushed through the aisle.

The gamers in the cafe lowered their voices, even the ones flaming their teammates. Fearing they’d be caught in the crossfire, some used the opportunity to slip away to the bathroom.

The bald man walked up to Duan Huaijin, squinting as he looked him up and down. “So you’re Duan Haixiang’s son.”

Duan Huaijin leaned against the counter, still holding a cleaning rag in one hand. Hearing this, he only lazily lifted his eyes. “No.”

“Pah!” The bald man spat on the floor. “I saw you enter that house with my own eyes last night. You think you can lie to me?! Talk—when are you paying the money back?”

Duan Haixiang had lived a mediocre life working construction until he accidentally developed a gambling addiction. He hallucinated that he could change his fate through betting, but his skill was poor despite his love for the game. He had lost a fortune and was now in over his head.

In his past life, Duan Haixiang hadn’t dared to tell his wife, Lin Mei. He had only told Duan Huaijin, hoping the boy would help him. Part of the reason Duan Huaijin worked so many part-time jobs immediately after class was to help pay off those debts.

“I don’t have money. Go ask him for it,” Duan Huaijin spoke neutrally. His tone was matter-of-fact, even a bit flippant, as if the matter had absolutely nothing to do with him.

But debt collectors don’t care about technicalities.

The bald man barked a curse in a local dialect. The bearded man reached out to grab Duan Huaijin’s collar, winding up a fist to teach the brat a lesson.

“Stop!”

A smartphone flew through the air, hitting the bearded man square in the face like a brick.

The bearded man’s nose throbbed. He squeezed his eyes shut in pain, his features scrunching together.

Yu Chucheng had only come to pick up his stuff; he hadn’t expected to see this scene the moment he walked in. It nearly scared the soul out of him.

Out of breath, he rushed over and stood in front of Duan Huaijin. “In broad daylight and under a clear sky, what do you think you’re doing?!”

The bald man’s eyes bulged, his knuckles cracking. “Mind your own business. His father owes us money. A son paying a father’s debt is the way of the world.”

Duan Huaijin looked down. Today, Yu Chucheng wore a short-sleeved button-down shirt with a light blue jacket draped over his arm. A scent-blocking patch was stuck to his smooth, slender nape, partially tucked into a collar that radiated a fresh fragrance.

Yu Chucheng sneered, “And what if I insist on minding it?”

The bald man choked. Their violent debt-collection methods weren’t legal to begin with; if the police came, it wasn’t certain who would end up behind bars. He had only come to intimidate Duan Huaijin into paying faster, not expecting a meddling brat to interfere.

But the bald man didn’t want to leave empty-handed. He rolled his eyes and dragged the bearded man forward. “I can give him more time on the gambling debt, but you just injured my brother. You have to pay medical expenses.”

Yu Chucheng rolled his eyes internally. Are these two starving for money? “If he doesn’t use some tissue soon, his nosebleed is going to dry up. Even if I gave you medical fees, the hospital probably wouldn’t know which department to send you to because the ‘injury’ is so small.”

Yu Chucheng spoke with such conviction that one of the nearby customers couldn’t help but snort.

“You—” The bald man hadn’t expected this kid to be so sharp-tongued. “It only looks minor. Who knows if the bone inside is damaged? Regardless, you laid hands on him first. You must pay!”

The bearded man clutched his nose and faked a groan of agony. “Yeah! And for mental distress!”

“Oh, really? Which of your eyes saw me ‘lay hands’ on you? I didn’t even touch you.” Yu Chucheng lifted his chin loftily, shamelessly making things up on the spot. “It was clearly my phone that hit you; what does that have to do with me? I just didn’t have a good grip. Who knew it would fly out and land exactly on your face?”

Duan Huaijin’s eyes flickered. He was nearly half a head taller than Yu Chucheng; from his angle, he could see the top of Yu Chucheng’s head. Yu Chucheng’s hair was a soft black, every strand reflecting the same arrogant flair as its owner.

Yu Chucheng was secretly praising himself for the “silver tongue” he’d developed while simping for Hao Jia for two years. He kicked the phone on the ground with his toe and continued matter-of-factly: “And my screen is cracked. Is your face cracked? My phone hitting you was like an egg hitting a rock. It looks to me like your face broke my phone. Maybe you should pay me some money.”

The bald man had been in this business for years and had seen all sorts of people, but he had never met someone who could twist black into white better than Yu Chucheng. The worst part was, he actually felt like it made a bit of sense.

“Fine, kid. I’ll let you off today. Just you wait,” the bald man huffed, dropping a hollow threat. Even if he was unwilling, he couldn’t call the police. Besides, this well-spoken kid clearly didn’t come from an ordinary background. He could only chalk it up to bad luck.

Once it was certain the troublemakers had left, the owner finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“You okay?” Yu Chucheng turned to ask Duan Huaijin, only then realizing he was standing a bit too close. His forehead had nearly brushed Duan Huaijin’s nose. His heart gave a little jolt, and he quickly pulled back to a safe distance.

Duan Huaijin stared at him intently, his voice a bit low and husky. “I’m fine. You helped me again.”

Yu Chucheng awkwardly reached up to touch his neck. “I’ve always been this helpful.”

“Always?”

Yu Chucheng didn’t know why Duan Huaijin had fixated on that specific word. But Duan Huaijin was a villain, and according to the general rules for villains, they were usually paranoid about details and obsessed with being “unique” in other people’s hearts. They wanted the whole world to be good only to them.

Even if Duan Huaijin didn’t show it on his face, he might be thinking it in his heart.

In the span of two seconds, Yu Chucheng’s mind hallucinated a scene of a “blackened” Duan Huaijin coming to settle scores with him. He immediately corrected himself:

“No… actually, I’m only helpful to you.”