The Abused Villain is Always Obsessed with Me - Chapter 9

Suddenly, someone tapped on his desk. Lu Cang looked up to see a short-haired girl smiling at him, her voice crisp and clear. “Excuse me, may I sit here?”

High school classrooms had two students per desk. Lu Cang was seated on the inner side against the wall, leaving the outer seat empty.

Lu Cang glanced at the empty seat. He wasn’t used to sitting with others and didn’t like it.

Without looking at her, he said flatly, “Aren’t there plenty of other empty seats in the classroom?”

It was a clear rejection. Most people would have retreated awkwardly, but the girl blinked. “Yeah, but I want to sit here. Plus, it’s closer to the AC, so it’s cooler in summer.”

“I don’t like sharing a desk with others,” Lu Cang said, his tone even more direct this time.

The girl laughed. “Oh, that’s easy!” She pulled the outer desk several inches further away. Since they were at the back of the room, there was no need to worry about blocking the aisle. She gauged the distance between their desks and patted the table.

“There! Now we’re not sharing a desk anymore!”

Lu Cang glanced at the distance between their desks and fell silent.

Indeed, they weren’t desk partners anymore.

Taking his silence as agreement, Zhuo Ying excitedly set down her backpack, pulled up a chair, and began organizing her things.

Lu Cang couldn’t say anything more. He withdrew his gaze and stared at his textbook, but before he could finish a page, Zhuo Ying’s voice rang out again.

“I’m Zhuo Ying. What’s your name?”

Lu Cang didn’t even look up. “Lu Cang.”

Zhuo Ying nodded with an “oh,” but barely two seconds of silence had passed before she spoke again. “Hey Lu Cang, what did you score on the high school entrance exam?”

“None of your business.”

Zhuo Ying disagreed. “We’re in the same class! What’s wrong with getting to know each other?”

Lu Cang responded with silence.

“Fine, don’t tell me. You’re so stingy.” Zhuo Ying shrugged, glanced around the classroom, and suddenly asked, “Do you know Shen Wenyu?”

This time, Lu Cang looked up.

His expression remained blank as he turned to Zhuo Ying. “What about him?”

“Nothing much. I just heard he’s in our class. I was curious what the top student in the city looks like. Do you know him?”

Lu Cang’s irritation grew. He casually glanced toward the front of the classroom and jerked his chin in a certain direction. “That’s him.”

Zhuo Ying followed his gaze. Shen Wenyu was speaking to the Home Room Teacher at the front of the classroom. After the teacher gave him some instructions, he nodded and casually glanced around the room, his eyes meeting Zhuo Ying’s.

He paused for a moment, then flashed her a bright, friendly smile.

Lu Cang stared coldly at him, his eyes darkening.

Zhuo Ying quickly averted her gaze and leaned closer to Lu Cang, whispering, “Wow, he’s actually pretty handsome! I thought he’d be some kind of bookworm!”

Lu Cang frowned and shifted away from her, creating more distance between them.

Thinking he was annoyed, Zhuo Ying added, “Hey, you’re handsome too! It’s just that your long hair makes you look gloomy. If you cut it, you might even be more handsome than Shen Wenyu.”

“……”

Lu Cang ignored her, not bothering to reply. Zhuo Ying rested her chin in her hand and muttered to herself, “Ugh, I’m so annoyed. I didn’t get enough of summer vacation. I almost didn’t get up this morning—my mom practically dragged me out of bed and brought me here.”

She turned to Lu Cang again. “Who brought you here? Your dad or your mom?”

Lu Cang’s hand, which had been annotating his textbook, froze.

The image of Feng Hechi’s retreating back flashed before his eyes. He suddenly realized he didn’t even know what to call Feng Hechi.

The man and his mother had only been lovers. After her death, he continued to live under the same roof as Lu Cang. They rarely called each other by name, usually just using “Hey” or “Oi.”

Recalling how the man had introduced himself as Lu Cang’s father to the Home Room Teacher earlier, Lu Cang’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

After a long pause, he murmured, “I came alone.”

Zhuo Ying was a straightforward and outgoing girl, but that didn’t mean she was oblivious.

As soon as the words left his lips, she turned to look at Lu Cang. His bangs were disheveled from where he had pressed his hand to his forehead, revealing his beautiful peach blossom eyes.

From her angle, she couldn’t see clearly, but she could sense the emptiness in his gaze.

Lu Cang’s voice was soft, like a feather caught in the wind, swirling in the air but never settling to the ground.

Zhuo Ying opened her mouth, but no words came. Though Lu Cang had only answered a single question, she felt an inexplicable wave of sadness radiating from him.

The sound from the podium drew her attention back. The Home Room Teacher stood at the lectern, clapping her hands to signal the start of the class meeting.

When Zhuo Ying glanced at Lu Cang again, the inexplicable sadness had vanished. He had lowered his eyes once more and remained silent.

As dusk fell, the world seemed to melt into the sunset. Street vendors set up their stalls, and weary commuters squatted by the roadside, haggling with them over a few pounds of meat and vegetables.

Feng Hechi weaved through the bustling street market.

The fishmonger rinsed the scales off the cutting board with a splash of water, the bloody runoff flowing into the drain. The butcher, a cigarette dangling from his lips, casually wiped the greasy handle of his cleaver with a rag. Several nicks on the blade testified to the force he used when chopping bones.

Feng Hechi paused at several stalls, his slender fingers pointing to specific items. The vendors quickly bagged the produce and handed it to him, smiling as they heard the payment notification chime from their phones.

Occasionally, unfamiliar vendors would stare at him, clearly surprised to see someone like him in a place like this.

The man stood tall and straight, his profile bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. The rolled-up sleeves revealed muscular forearms, their skin pale and luminous, the curve of his knuckles sculpted with perfect precision.

Feng Hechi had rarely visited this place, whether in this world or in the real world he came from.

Here, grocery shopping and cooking had always been Lu Cang’s responsibility. In Feng Hechi’s original world, the family’s nanny and chef handled all three daily meals, so he never needed to lift a finger.

Due to a congenital heart condition, Feng Hechi had always been carefully protected by his family. Even his stepmother, who occasionally tried to undermine him with subtle schemes, never dared to go too far.

However, Feng Hechi wasn’t a pampered young master content with a life of luxury. He adapted easily to new environments and never complained about the changes they brought.

After Lu Cang started high school, Feng Hechi naturally had to manage his own meals. The family’s current funds came from the compensation Lu Cang’s mother had received after her death—a limited sum, most of which Feng Hechi had saved, meticulously managing the remainder.

He thanked the stall owner and turned to leave the bustling market.

This was a small town, so compact that driving from south to north took only half an hour. Even without a car, daily errands could easily be handled on foot.

Feng Hechi walked along the sidewalk, carrying a bag in one hand. People hurried past him, their faces tense; after work, everyone was eager to get home and didn’t want to linger on the streets.

As he rounded a corner, he subtly glanced over his shoulder. As expected, he saw two figures trailing him about thirty meters behind, keeping a steady distance.

Someone was following him.

Feng Hechi had realized this shortly after leaving the market. He had casually glanced back several times and noticed the same figures consistently appearing a short distance behind him. On the sparsely populated streets, their footsteps carried clearly on the wind.

After turning the corner, Feng Hechi immediately ducked into a narrow alley on his right. The alley twisted and turned; he weaved through its labyrinthine paths, quickly emerging on the other side, leaving the two figures far behind.

Once he was certain they weren’t pursuing him, Feng Hechi turned and headed home.

His pace didn’t falter as he mentally communicated with the System.

“System, give me a brief summary of the original owner’s experiences before I arrived in this world.”

Feng Hechi believed that since arriving in this world, he had done nothing beyond advancing the mission objectives. The two men didn’t seem like upstanding citizens, leading him to suspect they were part of the mess the original owner had left behind.

Two days after arriving in this world, Feng Hechi had figured out how the System worked.

It didn’t have the ability to predict future developments, nor did it possess a god’s-eye view. Instead, it functioned like a platform for monitoring numerical values, reacting only to changes in key characters and metrics.

However, it could also be used like a computer. Any mission-related prerequisites from this world could be retrieved and reviewed.

The original owner began a romantic relationship with the target’s mother four years ago, tricking her into working to support him. He moved into their home, spending his days eating, drinking, and enjoying himself without working. Three years later, the target’s mother died from overwork. The company provided a small compensation payment, which the original owner claimed as her partner and squandered recklessly. Six months later, the host arrived in this world.

As Feng Hechi had learned upon arriving in this world, the original owner had lived a dependent life while Lu Cang’s mother was still alive, spending only small amounts of money. The real trouble began after receiving the compensation money.

“What did the original owner do in the six months after Lu Cang’s mother passed away?”

The System paused for two seconds, as if searching its database, before replying:

Within a month of receiving the compensation, the original owner purchased high-end liquor and designer clothing, spending his days in bars, karaoke lounges, and various clubs. At the clubs, he spent between 5,000 and 10,000 yuan per visit, always ordering company for drinking and gambling. After accumulating gambling debts, he sold off all the liquor and clothing to recoup his losses. He then continued to frequent the clubs for gambling, eventually losing 100,000 yuan and signing an IOU that remains unpaid to this day.

So it was debt.

After hearing this, Feng Hechi had already reached his conclusion. The two men outside certainly looked like debt collectors.

But as he considered this, he frowned slightly. “Why wasn’t I informed about something this important beforehand?”

When I initially provided the host with world information, I asked if there were any questions. The host did not raise any.

Feng Hechi’s lips twitched. “You only gave me the basic information. How am I supposed to know these details if you don’t tell me?”

The System fell silent for a few seconds before apologizing in its monotonous, mechanical voice.

I sincerely apologize, Host. My operational proficiency is still lacking. I will improve my narrative methods in the next world.

Who the hell designed this idiot System?

Feng Hechi didn’t dwell on it. He remembered the hundred thousand yuan debt mentioned earlier.

The remaining compensation money was only around thirty to forty thousand yuan. This sum had to support the entire family, especially since Lu Cang had just started high school, which would inevitably require significant expenses.

Given the current circumstances, repaying the hundred thousand yuan would likely require selling himself into servitude.

After a moment’s contemplation, Feng Hechi asked, “What’s the name of that club?”

Hua Palace Club. It’s approximately 11.5 kilometers from here.

Feng Hechi glanced at the darkening sky, then at the groceries in his hand.

After a moment’s hesitation, he suddenly raised his hand and hailed a passing taxi. He opened the back door, got in, and calmly instructed the driver, “Please take me to Hua Palace Club.”