The Abused Villain is Always Obsessed with Me - Chapter 11

Manna’s languid, alluring eyes widened abruptly, her crimson lips parting slightly as she stared at the man before her, as if she had never truly known him.

After a moment, her slender fingers, painted with pale pink nail polish, tightened around the glass in her hand before slowly relaxing. She straightened up against the sofa, tilting her head to look at Feng Hechi.

“You’re actually making such a request,” she murmured, repeating the words as her fingers tapped lightly against her forehead. “It’s been a year since we last met, and you’re… completely different.”

Manna believed she understood Feng Hechi better than anyone else. This detestable man had relied on his looks to deceive countless girls from childhood, growing accustomed to a life of unearned gains. His gambling addiction was entirely predictable.

She had no doubt that if his lies ever stopped working, his only fate would be to starve miserably on the streets.

For such a man to proactively seek employment… he probably hadn’t worked a single day since dropping out of high school.

Feng Hechi likely understood the original owner’s character, but Manna’s intense reaction still caught him off guard. He cleared his throat.

“Manna, people change. Forced by circumstances, I don’t know many people, and you’re the only one I can trust.”

The original owner of this body had terrible relationships in this world. His parents had long severed ties with him, and he spent most of his time either holed up at home or hanging out with fair-weather friends he’d met only a couple of times. He had no one he could truly rely on.

Manna stared at him, shaking her head slightly. “You never used to talk like this. You’d say, ‘Baby, just help me out one more time, or I’m done for. Can you really bear to see me suffer?'”

“……”

What a real bastard, Manna thought.

She shifted her gaze to the wine glass in front of her, the liquid inside rippling with her movements. She took a sip.

“I have a friend who runs a popular bar nearby. You could work there as a server or dishwasher. Work for ten or eight years, and you’ll pay it all back.”

Feng Hechi frowned slightly. Manna glanced at his expression and chuckled. “What? Don’t want to do manual labor?”

Feng Hechi shook his head. “Server jobs are too easily replaceable. Even if you recommend me, the owner could easily lay me off to cut costs. It’s not a long-term solution.”

Manna paused, then took another sip of her wine. “But I’m just a woman from a pleasure district. The only jobs I can recommend are in these gray areas. If you’re hoping I can connect you with contacts in the city’s corporate tower, you’ve come to the wrong person.”

She chuckled twice, then sized Feng Hechi up and down. “Or perhaps we’re hiring male escorts here. Interested? The kind where you sell your body, of course.”

Feng Hechi: “……”

“Just teasing,” she said, knowing when to stop. She swirled the wine in her glass and murmured softly, “I couldn’t bear to let you go.”

She smoothed a strand of her long hair and sighed. “If you want a long-term job that lasts at least three or four years, you need a skill to fall back on.”

“Even bar staff like DJs, dancers, and singers need musical talent. You can’t even carry a tune. Booth attendants need to be quick-witted, patient, good conversationalists, and have a high alcohol tolerance. Your drinking skills are barely passable. Bartenders require even more technical expertise…”

Feng Hechi suddenly looked up and politely interrupted her.

“What’s the pay like for bartenders?”

“It varies from bar to bar. At my friend’s place, the bartender is the main attraction, earning at least a five-figure salary each month. But he demands much higher skill levels than most bars.”

Manna turned to stare at Feng Hechi, her brow furrowed in obvious distrust.

“Someone like you, who only knows how to drink, should just give up now. You wouldn’t even pass the interview.”

Feng Hechi didn’t look away, meeting her gaze steadily. After a few seconds, Manna’s expression softened slightly, her lips parting in surprise. “Seriously? You’re actually going to do it?”

He smiled. “I know a little about bartending.”

Feng Hechi’s father had a penchant for fine wines, and the family’s bartenders came and went until they settled on a British mixologist in his fifties, a multiple world cocktail champion.

During his free time, Feng Hechi often lingered at the bar, chatting with the man. The shaker rattled in the bartender’s nimble fingers, the crisp clink of ice against glass filling the air as the colorful liquors swirled into the crystal-clear cocktail glasses.

Feng Hechi didn’t think the bartending skills he’d picked up through observation were good enough to compete, but they were certainly sufficient for working at a bar.

Manna blinked at him, and the two held each other’s gaze for a few seconds. Seeing Feng Hechi’s expression remained calm and sincere, she sighed. “Fine, I’ll introduce you to try it out. Knowing your temperament, you’ll probably quit before long anyway.”

Feng Hechi smiled at her, tapped a few times on his phone, thanked her, and stood up to leave.

Manna watched his movements, puzzled, when her phone vibrated twice in her bag. She pulled it out and saw Feng Hechi had just transferred her five hundred yuan.

“What’s this for?” Manna stood up, stopping Feng Hechi as he reached for the door. She hurried over and held her phone up to his face.

Feng Hechi chuckled. “I didn’t make a reservation, and you probably had to cancel your original clients to meet me today.”

Manna froze as he continued, “This is to compensate you for your lost work. I know it’s not enough, but I really can’t afford more right now. I’ll transfer the rest to you once I start working.”

Manna tilted her head, gazing into his narrow eyes through the lenses of his glasses. The usual slyness he used when trying to charm her was gone, replaced by a steady, sincere gaze that made her realize he wasn’t just saying empty words, but genuinely stating facts.

In the past, Feng Hechi had often barged in unannounced, calling and texting her incessantly, forcing her to reschedule appointments with clients to see him. Yet he had never offered any financial compensation, nor even a word of apology.

Manna pressed her lips together, slowly lowering the hand holding her phone. Seeing this, Feng Hechi murmured a goodbye and pushed open the private room door. He had barely taken a step when the woman behind him spoke.

“If you get the job, I’ll talk to the boss about extending your repayment period. You won’t have to pay it all back at once.”

Her voice was calm, tinged with weariness, yet carried an unmistakable resolve.

Feng Hechi was taken aback. Manna had already hurried past him, her hair trailing behind her, carrying a strong floral scent—the perfume she always wore.

Without another word or glance back, she strode down the corridor.

The midnight streets flowed like silent, dark rivers, pitch-black and deathly still. The streetlights flickered weakly, casting a dim yellow glow that attracted swarms of insects.

The walk home was long, but in this small town, cars were rare at this hour, let alone taxis. Feng Hechi scanned the roadside and grabbed a shared bike, consoling himself that at least he’d save on cab fare.

By the time he got home, it was past midnight.

Feng Hechi opened the door to find the house plunged into darkness. Lu Cang should have been asleep by now, so he didn’t bother turning on the lights. After changing his shoes at the entrance, he headed straight for the bedroom, only to freeze in his tracks.

A figure sat motionless on the edge of the spring bed in the corner, as if frozen in place for an eternity.

“It’s late. Why aren’t you asleep?” Feng Hechi asked, his voice calm as he stared at the figure.

There was no response. Instead, the figure abruptly stood up and began walking toward him.

His footsteps were heavy, dragging across the floor, the grating sound of his shoes against the tile jarringly loud. Feng Hechi frowned, watching his movements in silence.

The boy finally stood before him, his voice hoarse and terrifying.

“Where were you?”

Feng Hechi leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, his expression nonchalant. “None of your business.”

Lu Cang’s tone remained unchanged, his voice still raspy. “You went to that club again, didn’t you?”

Feng Hechi’s heart jolted, and he instantly recalled the surge in his hatred points earlier.

Lu Cang didn’t wait for an answer before continuing, “The scent on you is nauseatingly strong, just like the perfume you wore when you came home a year ago.”

It was Manna’s perfume.

Having spent so much time in close proximity to her, and with her perfume being so potent, it was no surprise some of the scent had clung to him. Feng Hechi hadn’t noticed it before.

“So what if I went?”

Exposed, Feng Hechi abandoned the pretense of denial. He had no intention of explaining himself to Lu Cang.

“You still owe so much money. Why would you gamble again?”

Lu Cang’s voice gradually lowered. Being shorter, Feng Hechi had to lean down slightly to hear him clearly.

When Feng Hechi finally understood Lu Cang’s words, he froze momentarily before realization dawned.

The two men who had chased him for debt that night must have come to their apartment to ambush him after failing to catch him.

They had run into Lu Cang returning from school.

The very next second after Feng Hechi leaned down, the boy suddenly grabbed his collar with all his might.

Caught off guard, Feng Hechi stumbled forward, and Lu Cang seized the opportunity to twist his body, using his weight to pin Feng Hechi to the ground.

The moment Feng Hechi’s back slammed against the hard floor, he groaned in pain.

Before he could speak, Lu Cang, straddling his waist in the darkness, pressed down hard on his shoulder with his left hand while raising a slender, rod-like object high in his right.

Without hesitation, he swung it down.

The System’s warning blared in Feng Hechi’s ears, its urgent alarm beeping incessantly.

Detected dangerous behavior: Host, be careful!!!

In an instant, Lu Cang’s free shoulder surged with force. Feng Hechi’s eyes, gradually adjusting to the darkness, caught Lu Cang’s movement. He swiftly raised his hand, clamping down precisely on Lu Cang’s descending wrist.

The awkward position made it difficult to exert force. Lu Cang was using immense strength, and Feng Hechi strained every muscle in half his body to freeze the motion mid-air, resisting Lu Cang’s downward pressure.

In the darkness, Lu Cang’s eyes burned with a terrifying intensity, as if all warmth had been drained from them. They resembled lifeless, stagnant water, their faint glimmers not beacons of hope but candles that only deepened the surrounding abyss.

“…A person like you doesn’t deserve to live in this world,” Lu Cang hissed, his lips barely moving as he stared fixedly at Feng Hechi.

Feng Hechi froze, finally realizing that Lu Cang was holding a fruit knife.