The Abused Villain is Always Obsessed with Me - Chapter 7

The sun rose from the horizon, bathed the world in its radiant glow, then sank back into the earth. This cycle repeated countless times, until two months had passed.

Lu Cang had entered high school.

Feng Hechi hadn’t bothered with any of the formalities: checking exam scores, submitting college applications—none of it.

Lu Cang went to an internet cafe to check his scores and apply to high school himself. Feng Hechi never asked about it, and Lu Cang never volunteered the information.

At the height of summer, Lu Cang walked to school under the scorching sun to pick up his high school acceptance letter. The thin sheet of paper bore the words “Congratulations” in black ink against white. He glanced at it calmly, tucked it into a compartment in his backpack, and buried it at the bottom of a box, never taking it out again.

The high school Lu Cang applied to was a day school.

On the day he submitted his application, he sat in the internet cafe, surrounded by the clatter of keyboards and the curses of other patrons. His vision was half-obscured by drifting cigarette smoke as he stared at the screen, lost in thought.

His exam scores ranked among the top ten in the city, and the best high school in the area was a day school, with no boarding facilities. This meant he would still have to return home every day and face Feng Hechi.

But for Lu Cang, who desperately wanted to get into university early and escape his home, giving up the chance to attend a top-tier high school was unthinkable.

Well, high school classes end late anyway, he reasoned. By the time I get home around eleven at night, our schedules will be completely out of sync. I’ll see Feng Hechi less and less.

With this thought, Lu Cang filled in the school’s name as his first choice.

The weather was pleasant that day—a gentle breeze stirred the clear, azure sky, dotted with a few pure white clouds. Sunlight streamed through the window at a slant, bathing the room in a warm, golden glow.

The man sat in the dappled light, his hand casually holding a cup, both gilded in the soft, golden light. His fair, translucent skin spoke of a privileged upbringing, a stark contrast to the dilapidated surroundings.

Hearing footsteps, he lifted his eyelids and glanced at the yellowed calendar hanging on the wall.

Today was Lu Cang’s first day of school.

Feng Hechi glanced toward the doorway. The boy stood there with his back to him, still carrying his worn-out middle school backpack, one hand already on the doorknob.

Adolescent boys often experience growth spurts overnight, like saplings shooting up suddenly.

Lu Cang’s slender frame resembled a frail, delicate tree trunk. Even though his forehead now reached Feng Hechi’s nose when standing straight, his wrist, which could still be encircled by just two fingers, remained strikingly thin.

The figure standing with his back to them suddenly shifted slightly, turning his head just enough to glance in their direction.

The moment Lu Cang turned his head, Feng Hechi withdrew his gaze and casually turned to look out the window, feigning disinterest as he surveyed the scenery.

Lu Cang watched Feng Hechi’s nonchalant expression, pressed his lips together, and tightened his grip on the doorknob.

Feng Hechi dutifully played the role of the scumbag stepfather. He naturally wouldn’t accompany Lu Cang to the school registration—a family affair meant for bonding.

After staring at him for two seconds, Lu Cang silently turned, twisted the doorknob, and stepped out.

A system notification abruptly chimed in Feng Hechi’s ear:

Important Alert: The protagonist of this mission world is about to appear!

Feng Hechi suddenly looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He’d almost forgotten about this.

When he first arrived in this world, the System had thoroughly explained the mission objective to him.

Nurturing a qualified villain was the task Feng Hechi needed to complete. The sole criterion for success was the target’s hatred value toward him.

But where there’s a villain, there must also be a protagonist. Otherwise, why would the villain be called a villain?

The protagonist would appear at the opportune moment, bringing significant changes to the target’s life and even influencing key turning points. If used wisely, this could provide considerable assistance.

However, Feng Hechi couldn’t know the protagonist’s identity in advance. He would only receive hints like this as the moment approached. He had previously guessed that the protagonist would appear in high school, but he hadn’t expected it to be on the very first day of registration.

Feng Hechi set down his glass and stood up.

The faint clink of the glass against the table made the young man at the door turn around, only to see a faint smile curving the corners of Feng Hechi’s lips.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you to register.”

Feng Hechi wanted to personally meet this world’s so-called protagonist.

The journey from school to home wasn’t far, only two traffic lights longer than the distance from Lucang Junior High. The school gate was choked with private cars, their horns blaring amidst the clamor of voices, creating a chaotic and boisterous scene.

Feng Hechi strode ahead, while Lu Cang followed a meter behind, silent and withdrawn. To an outsider, it would have been nearly impossible to tell they had arrived together.

Lu Cang’s gaze remained fixed on the figure ahead, his fingers absently playing with the dangling strap of his backpack, twisting it into loops around his fingers before flicking it loose.

This man actually came to see me register.

Is he trying to use this as an excuse to meet women again?

But seeing Feng Hechi’s unwavering focus as he strode forward, Lu Cang’s certainty wavered.

Throughout the summer break, he and Feng Hechi had barely spoken.

Lu Cang sensed a subtle change in Feng Hechi, yet the man’s attitude toward him remained aloof and dismissive, continuing to treat him like a servant.

What is this man thinking?

Lu Cang couldn’t figure it out.

After pushing through the crowd at the gate, they entered the school grounds, where people still lined both sides of the path. Some parents pointed at photos of outstanding graduates on the school’s honor roll, lecturing their children, who rolled their eyes and nodded in feigned agreement. Others, their faces etched with worry, fussed over their children, only to be reassured by the very ones they were trying to comfort.

Feng Hechi strode through the crowd without glancing sideways, but Lu Cang couldn’t resist looking around.

His gaze fixed on a mother and son nearby. The mother handed the boy his backpack, which had been slung over her shoulder, and carefully reminded him to eat properly at school. The boy interrupted her impatiently, saying, “I’m just here for one day, it’s not like I’m not coming back. I’m not a grade-schooler anymore!”

Lu Cang bit at the dry, peeling skin on his lip.

If Mom were still here…

He tore his gaze away and saw Feng Hechi striding ahead, already nearly three meters ahead of him. Gritting his teeth, Lu Cang hurried to catch up.

Hearing the approaching footsteps behind him, Feng Hechi didn’t turn around until the raspy, adolescent voice sounded beside him.

“My middle school entrance exam score ranked second in the entire city.”

Feng Hechi paused briefly, turning his head to look at the figure who had caught up to him.

Lu Cang looked up, staring at Feng Hechi’s profile. Feng Hechi met his gaze, his steps never faltering, his smile casual.

“Oh, so?”

Lu Cang looked into his eyes and said, each word deliberate, “In three years, I’ll get into the best university and leave this place.”

The man raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze lingering on Lu Cang’s face for a moment. His smile remained unchanged, but his tone was indifferent.

“Is that so? I look forward to it.”

His voice was calm, yet it carried an unmistakable hint of contempt.

He understood Lu Cang’s unspoken meaning.

For Lu Cang, getting into Lucang High School was like seeing a glimmer of hope for escaping this family. Lu Cang would go on to attend a top university, leaving this small town behind to soar to greater heights. Meanwhile, he, the idle parasite living off compensation money, would rot here in eternal solitude.

The youth’s rare act of defiance seemed so feeble, nothing more than childish wishful thinking.

For someone like the original owner of this body, even without Lu Cang as his beck-and-call servant, he could still rely on his handsome face and silver tongue to deceive naive girls into supporting him.

Feng Hechi had once asked the System what would happen to the original owners of these worlds after he completed his missions. The System’s answer was that they would return to normal, simply without any memory of Feng Hechi’s time there.

If Lu Cang hadn’t flown the coop as he claimed by the time Feng Hechi completed his mission, the boy’s life would undoubtedly become even more miserable after the original owner returned.

Feng Hechi’s response wasn’t a retort to the provocation, but a simple statement of fact.

Lu Cang gave him a deep look, then averted his gaze. Maintaining a half-arm’s distance beside Feng Hechi, he walked silently at his side.

Neither spoke again, the silence stretching between them as they walked to the classroom door.

The Home Room Teacher stood at the entrance, chatting with each arriving parent with a warm smile. She appeared to be in her forties or fifties, wearing black-framed glasses, her hair neatly tied back, and dressed in a simple, solid-colored short-sleeved shirt and jeans—the kind of polished look one might expect from a five-time consecutive “Outstanding Teacher” award winner.

Feng Hechi had previously attended an international high school and had only heard rumors of such efficient and demanding Home Room Teachers at top-tier high schools. Seeing one in person, he finally understood why parents were so determined to get their children into these elite institutions.

The woman finished speaking with the previous parent, saw them off with a smile, then turned to approach Feng Hechi and Lu Cang.

“You must be Lu Cang and his parent?” she asked, looking directly at Lu Cang and accurately calling him by name. Lu Cang paused, then nodded. Feng Hechi wasn’t surprised; Lu Cang ranked second in the city academically, so high school teachers would naturally familiarize themselves with top students beforehand.

The woman looked up at Feng Hechi, seemingly searching for a familiar way to address him. However, Feng Hechi’s youthful appearance made her hesitate. She extended her hand with a sincere smile. “My name is Zhang, and I’m Lu Cang’s Home Room Teacher for his third year at Lucang High School. May I ask if you’re Lu Cang’s…”

“I’m his father,” Feng Hechi replied with a faint smile, shaking her hand.

Beside them, Lu Cang’s figure froze almost imperceptibly.

The woman’s expression turned to surprise. “Oh, I see! You look so young—I thought you were his older brother.”

Naturally young.

Lu Cang’s mother had been deceived by her ex-husband and given birth to Lu Cang at just eighteen years old. In this world, Feng Hechi was six years younger than Lu Cang’s mother, making him only in his early twenties now.

Moreover, Feng Hechi’s appearance in the mission world was identical to his real-world face, where he was only twenty-seven—an age when people often praised him as young and promising.

After their brief handshake, Feng Hechi subtly glanced her up and down.

So, she’s not the protagonist.

For high school students, the most influential figures are undoubtedly their teachers and classmates, especially on the first day of school. On his way here, Feng Hechi had even considered whether the System’s prompt might refer to the Home Room Teacher.

If she were a young teacher, it might have been possible, but judging by the woman’s age, it couldn’t be her. Besides, the System hadn’t given any specific indication.

That left only classmates.

The Home Room Teacher was about to say something when her gaze suddenly shifted behind Feng Hechi, as if drawn by something.

“Good morning, Teacher Zhang!”

A clear, youthful voice rang out from behind Feng Hechi, accompanied by the System’s brief mechanical alert:

Warning: The protagonist of this world has appeared!