The Abused Villain is Always Obsessed with Me - Chapter 26

A flicker of doubt crossed Feng Hechi’s mind, but he pressed his lips together and remained silent.

Seeing Feng Hechi’s refusal to answer, Lu Cang’s hand, hidden beneath his clothes, tightened its grip, and he took another step toward Feng Hechi.

The distance between them was already small; after just a few steps, Lu Cang stood beside Feng Hechi.

Watching Feng Hechi’s continued silence, Lu Cang’s fingernails dug deeper into his palm, drawing bl00d and leaving deep crescent marks.

Could he really… feel something for that woman?

“What kind of answer do you want?”

The man sitting on the sofa suddenly spoke, making Lu Cang flinch. He met Feng Hechi’s narrow eyes, which had abruptly lifted to meet his gaze.

Feng Hechi leaned back against the sofa, his elbow bent, the back of his hand propping up his chin, his expression playful.

When Lu Cang faltered, Feng Hechi raised an eyebrow, his tone languid.

“Speak up. How do you want me to answer you?”

Lu Cang’s heart pounded wildly. He instinctively clutched the clothes he was holding against his chest and stumbled backward, terrified that Feng Hechi would hear his sudden, frantic heartbeat.

“I didn’t…” Lu Cang stammered, his voice faltering under the intense gaze of those deep eyes. His mind went blank, and he couldn’t even form a complete sentence.

“Your voice is too soft. I can’t hear you,” Feng Hechi said calmly, yet he suddenly reached out, gripped Lu Cang’s wrist, and yanked him forward.

The man’s sharp, handsome features loomed closer, and Lu Cang involuntarily held his breath, his eyes locked against his will with those piercing eyes.

“You don’t want me to like her, do you?” Feng Hechi murmured in his ear, his warm breath brushing against Lu Cang’s skin, as if searing the flesh there.

Lu Cang opened his mouth to speak, but his throat felt blocked, unable to produce a sound.

“Why?”

The deep, magnetic voice resonated in his ear, sending a fine tremor through his eardrum. The vibrations of Lu Cang’s heart and eardrum seemed to synchronize.

He lowered his gaze, focusing on Feng Hechi’s hand gripping his wrist. His eyes slowly traced upward, gliding over the man’s skin until they settled on his face.

Lu Cang spoke.

“Your eyes… they’re always looking at others.”

Feng Hechi froze, noticing Lu Cang, who had been panicking and trying to escape, suddenly calm down.

The force Lu Cang was using to pull away lessened. He took a step forward, his peach blossom eyes dark and intense as he stared at Feng Hechi, yet a strange smile flickered within their depths.

“Whether it was in the past or now, you’ve always been surrounded by people.”

“You’re always looking at them, smiling at them, being so gentle with them.”

Lu Cang took another step forward, leaning in slightly to meet Feng Hechi’s gaze. A faint smile curved his lips as he murmured in a hoarse, almost delirious voice:

“Why can’t you just look at me?”

“I’m the one who’s been with you the longest, aren’t I?”

Feng Hechi’s brow furrowed slightly.

He now understood why Lu Cang had been so obsessed with Manna and so ruthless in his actions against Shen Wenyu.

“Shen Wenyu.”

The name that had just crossed Feng Hechi’s mind was suddenly spoken by Lu Cang. Feng Hechi startled, but the youth before him merely narrowed his eyes and smiled, his tone tinged with smugness, like a child showing off his masterpiece to an adult.

“He’s already very popular. Everyone around him likes him, and his family is happy.”

“I’m not jealous of any of that, and I couldn’t care less about other people’s affairs.”

As Lu Cang spoke, his smile gradually faded, and a dark, sinister glint flickered in his eyes.

“But I am jealous of the way you look at him.”

Lu Cang’s voice was light and airy, yet his words felt like a noose tightening around Feng Hechi’s neck.

“You always stare at him so intently, smiling at him. Why? You’ve never even smiled at me.”

Feng Hechi regarded him calmly, his voice icy. “So you pushed him down the stairs.”

Lu Cang laughed. “I didn’t push him.”

“His shoelace just happened to come undone at the perfect moment. It would have been a waste not to take advantage of it.”

Feng Hechi’s eyes narrowed slightly, but Lu Cang continued, lost in his own thoughts.

“Too bad he was lucky and only twisted his ankle.”

“Why is that? It seems like everyone except me has such good luck.”

He tilted his head slightly, a hint of genuine confusion in his expression.

“Enough.”

Feng Hechi frowned and sighed, releasing his grip on the slender wrist.

The lingering doubts in his mind had been resolved, yet he felt no sense of relief.

Why had Lu Cang developed such a twisted…

He pressed his index finger lightly against his temple, for the first time carefully reviewing his actions over the past few years.

Had I done anything so outrageous that it could have driven Lu Cang to this?

Feng Hechi withdrew his thoughts, only to realize the youth before him was still staring intently with a burning gaze.

“Don’t presume to know me.”

He lifted his eyes, his gaze icy as he met Lu Cang’s stare.

“Who I’m close to, who I’m friendly with—that’s none of your concern. You have no right to question me, and certainly no right to make demands.”

Lu Cang’s hands clenched tighter, his lips pressed into a thin line with such force that the scabbed wound at the corner of his mouth split open again, drawing bl00d.

Feng Hechi rose to his feet, preparing to walk past him toward the room, his voice indifferent.

“Go kneel in the corner and reflect on your recent behavior.”

Just as he was about to brush past the youth, Feng Hechi felt his sleeve yanked sharply.

He instinctively turned back, his frown still etched on his face, only to find Lu Cang’s face suddenly looming close.

In that instant, he realized what Lu Cang intended to do.

Feng Hechi swiftly raised his hand to cover the lower half of his face, immediately feeling the warm, soft touch of Lu Cang’s lips against his palm.

A small, sticky smear of bl00d remained on his hand.

“You’re quick,” Lu Cang said, his eyes crinkling into a smile, seemingly unfazed by having his advance blocked.

Tch.

It seemed those two slaps tonight hadn’t hurt him at all.

Feng Hechi raised his hand, but paused when he saw Lu Cang’s fearless expression. Instead, he clamped his fingers around Lu Cang’s jaw.

“Do you know what you’re doing?”

The skin of Lu Cang’s jaw flushed a faint pink under Feng Hechi’s forceful grip. Lu Cang’s lips curled into a wide smile, his eyes filled with an unfathomable darkness.

“Of course I do.”

“I want your eyes to focus on me more.”

His tone was casual, as if discussing the weather.

Incomprehensible.

The word flashed through Feng Hechi’s mind.

“Get back to your room and don’t let me see you again today,” he said, his eyes narrowing, his gaze as cold as ice.

Lu Cang paused, then obediently lowered his head. “Alright.”

As he turned to leave, he glanced back, his gaze flicking across Feng Hechi’s lips before dropping to reveal a barely perceptible smile.

This kid…

Feng Hechi’s brow furrowed deeply. Only after the door closed softly behind Lu Cang did he let out a soft sigh and sink onto the sofa.

Host, you seem troubled.

The System, which had been feigning death for ages, suddenly spoke up, seemingly trying to offer comfort.

Feng Hechi’s fingers tapped absently on the coffee table as he murmured in response, “I am, a little.”

According to the data, parents of adolescents are often troubled by their children’s sudden rebellion. This is perfectly normal. You…

“Enough. Shut up,” Feng Hechi said lazily. “I’m not troubled by that.”

He had been puzzled by the gradual slowdown in the growth of Lu Cang’s hatred value. Now that he finally understood the reason, he was even more vexed about how to proceed with the remaining tasks.

Forget physical punishment or scolding—even when Feng Hechi slapped Lu Cang, all he saw in the boy’s eyes was an undisguised, burning intensity.

Understood. Would you like to search for methods to correct abnormal feelings adolescents develop toward their elders? I’ve retrieved 3,657 relevant results for you.

“……”

You’re just making things worse.

His thoughts drifted back to Lu Cang’s earlier words. Suddenly, Feng Hechi let out a soft scoff, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.

He asked calmly, “System, what are the current values?”

Query complete. Current target’s hatred value: 88.1%

Only twelve percent remained.

Feng Hechi nodded meaningfully, his smile deepening.

He knew exactly how to reach the remaining percentage.

You want me to look at you more? Then I’ll give you exactly what you want.

The sun rose from the horizon, slowly tracing a golden arc across the boundless sky before gradually sinking back into the earth in the west.

This cycle repeated itself for a month.

Lu Cang slung his backpack over his shoulder, pushed open his bedroom door, and stepped outside.

He had grown taller and was no longer as frail as before. Standing in a crowd, he now looked almost indistinguishable from his peers.

Lu Cang turned his head at a sound coming from the living room window.

His gaze landed on a man wearing a white shirt, the sleeves casually rolled up to reveal fair, sunlit skin.

The man was nonchalantly watering the potted plants on the windowsill, the muscles of his exposed forearms flexing into graceful lines.

He didn’t turn around.

Lu Cang instinctively tightened his grip on his backpack straps and called out softly, “I’m going to school.”

The man glanced back at him with a calm, appraising look.

“Go ahead.”

His tranquil voice sent ripples through Lu Cang’s heart.

Lu Cang averted his gaze, said nothing more, and strode out of the house.

The door closed gently with a soft click. Feng Hechi, still standing by the window, set the watering can on the windowsill, turned, and leaned against the wall, his gaze drifting toward the closed door.

Water droplets on the leaves reflected the dazzling rays of the setting sun, making Feng Hechi’s face, shrouded in shadow, appear even more obscure.

The living room was quiet. The walls weren’t well-insulated, so even from a distance, Feng Hechi could hear that there was no sound of Lu Cang coming downstairs.

A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips.

Outside the door, Lu Cang leaned against the wall, backpack slung over his shoulder. He took several deep breaths, gradually calming his racing heart after their brief eye contact.

Feng Hechi had changed.

Not the subtle, almost imperceptible shifts of before, but a more pronounced difference.

His attitude toward Lu Cang had improved significantly.

While he still couldn’t match the meticulous care of other parents, the change was night and day compared to his previous indifference.

Whenever Lu Cang returned home from school, Feng Hechi would offer a casual greeting, even without looking at him, which still made Lu Cang’s heart flutter.

Even Lu Cang’s greetings when leaving for school now received a response.

Sometimes, when Lu Cang came home on weekends, he would head to the kitchen to start cooking, only to find Feng Hechi already there.

In all of Lu Cang’s memories, he had never seen Feng Hechi in such a place.

The first time Lu Cang stumbled upon Feng Hechi, he froze in place for a full ten seconds. Feng Hechi casually glanced at him and said dismissively, “What are you staring at? If you’re bored, come help out.”

Lu Cang leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, tilted his head back slightly, and slowly exhaled.

Feng Hechi’s attitude toward him had shifted from one tinged with disdain and annoyance. Though still cold, he no longer spoke harshly to Lu Cang, and at times even showed a semblance of care.

Yet Lu Cang still couldn’t get used to it.

Whenever those indifferent eyes met his, his heart would race uncontrollably. Even casual physical contact would leave him momentarily stunned.

Truth be told, he desperately craved Feng Hechi’s special treatment, whether it was punishment or scolding. Any form of attention made him feel uniquely recognized, like a drowning man gasping for air.

But when Feng Hechi actually granted his wish, and even far exceeded his expectations, Lu Cang felt utterly lost.

He had tried to understand why Feng Hechi’s attitude had changed so drastically, but his thoughts always came to a halt whenever he met those eyes.

From long ago, he had never understood Feng Hechi.

Now, it was the same. So he simply stopped trying to figure it out.

Lu Cang slowly exhaled again, calming the emotions churning in his chest, and headed downstairs.

A torrential downpour began outside the window.

It was already late, and the sudden storm unleashed a deluge, the rising mist obscuring the distant streetscape.

Chaos erupted in the classroom. Students near the windows stood up, craning their necks to peer outside, then erupted into groans.

“Aaaah! Why is it raining so suddenly? I didn’t bring an umbrella!”

“Me neither! Who would bring an umbrella on such a sunny day?”

“I have to bike home! Ugh, I can already picture my back splattered with mud.”

Lu Cang remained calmly seated, not even looking up.

“Lu Cang, how are you so calm? Did you bring an umbrella?” Zhuo Ying asked, returning to her seat after complaining to her friends. She noticed Lu Cang’s detached demeanor.

Lu Cang replied calmly, “No.”

“Huh? Then why aren’t you worried at all? Is someone picking you up?”

The pen Lu Cang was holding froze in his hand.

It had been a long time since he’d fretted about the rain.

When he was younger, his mother used to pack an umbrella in his backpack. But ever since she started dating, she no longer had time for such trivial matters.

He would check the weather forecast himself, but occasionally, his absentmindedness would lead him to forget his umbrella.

In fifth grade, after staying up late helping his mother with a thorough house cleaning the night before, he forgot to pack his umbrella. He stood in front of the classroom door for an hour and a half after school.

One by one, his classmates were picked up by their parents. Some even threw tantrums, complaining about their parents’ lateness, only to cheer up when promised a treat as compensation.

Lu Cang remained rooted to the spot.

The rain was torrential, his home was far away, and he was wearing cloth shoes that would soak through instantly in the downpour. His feet were already raw from wearing ill-fitting shoes for too long.

Staring at the sky, Lu Cang could only pray for the rain to stop soon.

But his luck had always been poor. The downpour showed no signs of easing up after an hour and a half.

Silently, Lu Cang stepped into the rain. The usual thirty-minute walk home stretched into nearly an hour.

When he pushed open the front door, not a single part of his body, from head to toe, was dry. Even his backpack dripped steadily.

The man sprawled on the sofa, drinking, paused when he saw Lu Cang, then shouted toward the kitchen, “Hey, your son’s back! He’s soaked!” He made no move to get up.

Sounds came from the kitchen, and Lu Cang’s mother hurried out. She froze when she saw him, then rushed to drape a towel over his shoulders, apologizing profusely.

“I’m so sorry, Mom forgot about you! I thought you had your umbrella. He Chi called earlier, saying he’d forgotten his, so I went to pick him up…”

Lu Cang stood numbly, his gaze fixed on the man who looked utterly indifferent to his presence.

He’d been forgotten again.

Ever since his mother started dating, he’d always been the one left behind.

Lu Cang withdrew his gaze and smiled at his mother. “It’s okay, Mom. I’m used to it. Don’t worry about me.”

He couldn’t blame her. She worked so hard every day; he understood completely.

He was just used to it.

Lu Cang snapped out of his daze, realizing his thoughts had drifted far away.

He looked up at Zhuo Ying, who was still staring at him, and said quietly, “No one’s coming to pick me up.”

Zhuo Ying’s eyes widened. “What? How are you going to get home?”

Lu Cang glanced at the downpour outside the window, his voice flat. “It’s not far. I’ll just walk.”

Zhuo Ying gave him an admiring look and patted his shoulder. “That’s so you—not a bit dramatic.”

Dramatic? He wished he had the chance to be.

Lu Cang lowered his gaze and said nothing more.

The final bell rang, and the class scattered.

Some draped their jackets over their heads, others used their backpacks as makeshift umbrellas, while a few huddled under a single umbrella, struggling through the rain.

Lu Cang expressionlessly slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed for the door, only to meet Shen Wenyu’s gaze.

Shen Wenyu was chatting with a friend, explaining that his dad would be a few minutes late to the school gate. The other boy replied enviously, “Your dad’s so busy, but he still comes to pick you up? That’s amazing.”

When their eyes met, Shen Wenyu froze for a moment.

After their last encounter with Feng Hechi, he had resigned himself to keeping his distance from Lu Cang. He hadn’t contacted Feng Hechi in a long time either.

For the past few weeks, things had been peaceful.

He hesitated, looked away, and remained silent. But the boy beside him took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Lu Cang.

“How are you getting home, Lu Cang?”

Lu Cang replied calmly, “I’ll go by myself.”

“Then we’re in the same boat. You…”

Before he could finish, the boy’s gaze suddenly shifted down the corridor, and he paused, startled.

“Looks like we timed it perfectly.”

A deep, magnetic voice echoed from a few meters away, and Lu Cang’s body instantly stiffened.

He slowly turned his head, his movements like a frame-by-frame slow-motion sequence.

A man dressed in black stood at the end of the corridor, his tall, upright figure and refined features sharply contrasting with the students around him. Seeing Lu Cang turn, he tossed the umbrella he was holding.

Lu Cang instinctively caught it, his lips moving silently as he struggled to find the right words.

Shen Wenyu stared at the man in astonishment. “Brother Feng?”

Feng Hechi didn’t even glance at him, turning his gaze calmly toward Lu Cang.

“Let’s go.”

He was looking at him.

Only at him.

Lu Cang gripped the umbrella tightly, his heart pounding wildly.