After Redeeming the Paranoid Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 14

Gu Chen’s words acted as the catalyst, causing all the grievances Su Yu had suppressed since arriving here to explode at once.

He sobbed as he hurled his accusations. “Do you have any idea how miserable I feel? My whole body hurts like hell, and the moment you show up, you just scold me! Why can’t you just go back to sleep? Nobody asked for your help anyway!”

The more Su Yu spoke, the more wronged he felt. Combined with his physical discomfort, his tears fell faster with every word. Yet, even in this state, he forced himself to glare at Gu Chen with red-rimmed eyes, refusing to back down.

Su Yu’s stubbornness sent a pang through Gu Chen’s heart. Before his mind could even process a thought, his body reacted instinctively. He reached out and pulled Su Yu into an embrace. “Do not cry,” Gu Chen stammered. “I… I have never comforted anyone before. I just wanted to ask about your injuries. I brought some medicated oil.”

This was Gu Chen’s first time trying to comfort someone. He held Su Yu and tried his best to soften his voice, though a lingering stiffness remained in his tone.

Su Yu froze at the sound of Gu Chen’s gentle voice. In his memory, and from the impression he gathered while reading the book, Gu Chen was a “do not approach” type of person who was incredibly arrogant. It seemed nothing could ever make Gu Chen bow his head. Yet, today, Gu Chen was whispering “I was wrong” in his ear and trying to soothe him.

Su Yu felt as if he had wandered into some work of magical realism. Otherwise, how could the arrogant antagonist of the novel be apologizing to him?

“Let me see the injuries. I will apply the medicine for you, alright?”

Gu Chen’s deep voice vibrated near Su Yu’s ear, making his heart flutter. Despite his fear of the man, he could not deny that Gu Chen was exceptionally charismatic. Even in a wheelchair, Gu Chen’s presence was that of a sovereign, making it feel as though everything was unfolding according to his design.

Su Yu pulled away from the embrace and hurriedly buttoned his shirt to hide the bruises. He spoke sheepishly, “It is fine. They are just minor injuries. I will apply the medicine myself later.”

Observing Su Yu’s defensive posture and the way he intentionally kept his distance, Gu Chen fell silent. He eventually placed the bottle of medicated oil on the table. “I will leave the medicine here. Use it whenever you are ready.”

Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Gu Chen was intelligent; he had likely sensed Su Yu’s fear and chose a neutral topic to bridge the awkward gap between them.

“Thank you,” Su Yu whispered, looking at him.

Everyone said Gu Chen was cold-blooded and heartless, but after spending time together, Su Yu realized he was not naturally unfeeling. He was simply a fool who did not know how to express himself.

Su Yu lowered his gaze, a hint of a smile hidden in his eyes.

“Then… I am leaving?” Gu Chen asked tentatively.

Looking at Gu Chen’s back, Su Yu instinctively wanted him to stay, but he did not know how to ask. Instead, what came out was, “Aren’t you curious about why I got into a fight?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Su Yu regretted it immensely. He had simply wanted to keep talking to Gu Chen, but he had accidentally blurted out a foolish question.

Gu Chen’s silhouette stiffened. A fleeting, shadowed emotion crossed his eyes.

“I am waiting,” Gu Chen replied. “I am waiting for when you are ready to tell me.”

With that, Gu Chen left the room.

Su Yu slumped onto the bed like a deflated balloon. For a long time, he hit his own head, cursing his lack of common sense for asking such a thing. Gu Chen was pathologically suspicious. He had sent people to tail Su Yu to the bank and warned him to stay away from Gu Yi’an after just a few words were exchanged. Now, it was obvious Su Yu was hiding something, and Gu Chen’s suspicions would likely only deepen.

Su Yu sprawled across the bed, looking utterly defeated and wishing he could just disappear. He eventually decided to leave it to fate—a strategy he often relied on.

Outside the door, Gu Chen stared at the closed entrance to Su Yu’s room. His calm eyes flickered with a trace of emotion before turning placid once more. He did not realize that on this night, a seed named “Su Yu” had been quietly planted in his heart, beginning to take root as the long years stretched ahead.

Su Yu’s injuries healed quickly. Within a week, he had returned to his lively self, as if the person who had been wincing while applying medicine never existed.

Gu Chen sat in his wheelchair, watching Su Yu potter around the flowers in the garden. A sense of warmth filled his chest. He looked up at the sun, wondering if the heat was simply radiating from his skin to his heart.

“Su Yu, aren’t you coming back inside yet?”

Gu Chen called out to Su Yu, who was still battling weeds. Early that morning, Su Yu had forced him into the garden under the pretext that “sunlight promotes growth and helps calcium absorption.”

Gu Chen had assumed “sunbathing” meant sitting in his wheelchair while Su Yu chatted with him, as seen on television. He found the idea heartwarming and had not stopped Su Yu from pushing him outside. However, once they reached the garden, Su Yu had immediately started fussing over the plants, leaving him completely ignored.

Gu Chen huffed, allowing a genuine emotion to show on his face for the first time.

Su Yu, however, did not hear him or notice his dissatisfaction. He continued pulling weeds and gave a perfunctory reply. “Wait a moment! Look at how neglected this garden is. It is full of weeds. I will take you back once I am finished.”

Gu Chen’s annoyance reached its peak. He watched Su Yu’s busy figure and grumbled quietly, “I haven’t been ‘attended to’ in a long time either. Why can’t you look at me?”

His tone carried a hint of childish grievance. Lost in his complaints, Gu Chen did not notice his own shifting emotions. He even started calculating whether he should tear up the garden and build a swimming pool so Su Yu would stop focusing on the plants.

After nearly half an hour, Su Yu finally remembered Gu Chen. When he turned around, he found Gu Chen fast asleep in the wheelchair. A smile played on Su Yu’s lips as he looked at the man’s peaceful face.

The sunlight bathed Gu Chen, its warmth seeming to melt his icy exterior. Su Yu instinctively wanted to reach out and feel the warmth of Gu Chen’s cheek, but he pulled his hand back just in time. He had not forgotten the moment Gu Chen had held a knife to his throat. He remained aware that Gu Chen was a paranoid and dangerous individual; the current warmth was merely the mask of a predator at rest.

Watching Gu Chen sleep made Su Yu feel drowsy as well. He sat down next to the wheelchair, leaned against it, and closed his eyes.

Sometime later, Gu Chen slowly woke up. He looked at the sun, surprised that he had fallen asleep in such an open space. Was his vigilance slipping?

His expression darkened. If that were the case, wouldn’t Gu Yi’an get exactly what he wanted?

Gu Chen reached out to move his wheelchair, but his hand brushed against something warm, causing him to retract it like a lightning bolt. He turned his head quickly toward the armrest. Su Yu was fast asleep, leaning against the side of the wheelchair.

Su Yu’s hair was soft. As the wind blew, it brushed against Gu Chen’s hand, creating a slight itching sensation that stirred his heart.

Gu Chen stared at Su Yu’s sleeping face as if entranced. Everything was so quiet and beautiful. At that moment, a man who never believed in gods or spirits found himself wishing time would stop right there. Eventually, he could not resist reaching out to touch Su Yu’s hair, his movements as cautious as if he were handling a priceless treasure.

Gu Chen’s smiles were usually subtle, but the sensation in his hand and the person beside him caused his lips to curve upward, and the warmth spread to his eyes. The stern, humorless man was actually smiling.

What Gu Chen did not notice was a flash of light in the distance—the reflection of a camera lens.

Despite being lost in the moment, Gu Chen realized the sun was getting stronger and they might get heatstroke. He looked at his motionless legs, and a shadow of loneliness crossed his eyes. If his legs worked, he would have carried Su Yu back into the villa.

To walk…

Gu Chen chewed on the word in his mind. It was like a knife stabbing at his heart, a source of endless torment for a man as proud as him.

When he first became paralyzed, he had cared deeply. He would get angry when people spoke of it. Seeing his rage, those people realized they had found a way to hurt him. At every gathering, mention of the Gu family inevitably led to talk of the “crippled eldest young master” who had once dominated the business world.

Each time he heard such news, he would fly into a rage in his room, smashing everything in sight. But his greatest breakdown came when he woke from a coma to be told he had been given a “wife” of the same gender. It made his hatred even harder to extinguish. People seized upon the topic tirelessly, rubbing salt into his wounds.

However, as the insults continued, Gu Chen found his heart growing still. He slowly accepted reality. So what if his legs were broken? He could still manipulate those people like puppets. Once he realized this, he hid his brilliance. He was not finished; he was simply lying in wait, waiting for those foolish predators to lower their guard so he could deliver a fatal blow. A wounded lion is still a lion.

Gu Chen had always been mentally strong. He could ignore his injuries and stay in the shadows. He could be indifferent to everything, but at this moment, he could no longer pretend. He could not pick up the person he wanted to hold like a normal man.

Gu Chen gripped the armrest so tightly that his nails left marks in the leather. Gradually, he released his grip and closed his eyes, looking exhausted. He pulled out his phone and called the butler, his voice sounding more tired than ever before. “Uncle Wang, please send someone to take Su Yu back to his room.”

“Yes, he is asleep. I do not want to wake him. Tell whoever comes to be quiet.”

In the Gu family’s main house, Gu Yi’an looked at the photos sent by his informant. A sinister, unmasked glint of malice shone in his eyes.

In the photos, Gu Chen was touching the hair of the sleeping Su Yu, a faint smile on his face. Gu Yi’an reached for a dart on the table and threw it. It whistled through the air and struck the bullseye.

“Gu Chen, I have finally found your weakness.”