After Redeeming the Paranoid Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 20

Su Yu walked with a cool and composed air until he reached the underground parking garage. There, his steady pace suddenly faltered. He scrambled into his car and slammed the door shut. In the heavy silence, Su Yu slowly slumped over the steering wheel, his pale ears flushing a deep crimson once again.

How could he have said something so embarrassing?

Back in the office, when he revealed that his partner was a man, he had instinctively acted to prevent Li Wen from showing even a hint of disdain toward Gu Chen. Driven by a protective impulse, he had declared without hesitation that he loved him very much. Su Yu covered his face in frustration. Only after his emotions had leveled out did he start the car and drive away.

What Su Yu did not know was that after he left, a man stepped out from the partition in that office. It was the sharp-tongued man in glasses who had previously made Su Yu sing. Upon seeing him, Li Wen addressed him respectfully as President Chi.

“Mm,” Chi Wenjing responded, looking as though he had discovered something amusing. “Do some ideological work on him. Get him to sign with Huaxing.”

Li Wen gave a bitter smile, the weary expression of a typical corporate laborer. His only consolation was that he had Su Yu’s phone number saved, so they would not lose contact.

When Su Yu drove back to the villa, Gu Chen was looking at his phone. He glanced up at Su Yu and asked if he was back. Su Yu nodded and prepared to head upstairs, but Gu Chen called out to him again to ask how the interview went.

Gu Chen returned his gaze to his phone, his expression casual as if he were merely making polite conversation. Su Yu was immediately reminded of the final sentence he had uttered in the Huaxing Entertainment office. He averted his eyes, trying his best not to look at Gu Chen. He cleared his throat and spoke with a hint of awkwardness, stating that he did not pass because his acting was too poor.

Su Yu’s words reminded Gu Chen of the flawed, transparent expressions Su Yu made whenever he tried to lie. A slight smile played at the corners of Gu Chen’s mouth as he noted that it made sense.

Su Yu froze. He had not expected Gu Chen to offer no words of comfort. Just as he was about to get annoyed, Gu Chen looked up from the first floor toward Su Yu, who was standing on the stairs.

“It does not matter. Come back, and I will support you.”

This was something Gu Chen had said to him once before, but now he was repeating it. Su Yu met Gu Chen’s eyes. He suddenly felt his heart racing uncontrollably. He began to wonder if this body had some sort of intermittent heart condition. Otherwise, why did his heart race every time he faced Gu Chen?

He forced down the fluttering in his chest and pretended to be unbothered, claiming that he could support himself. Gu Chen watched Su Yu flee upstairs and gently rubbed his fingers together. He wondered why Su Yu was still avoiding him even though they had already spoken openly.

Gu Chen wanted to know exactly what had happened at Huaxing Entertainment. Currently, his influence was not as powerful as it once was. Since his business dealings did not involve the entertainment industry, he could only gather limited information. He learned that Su Yu had actually performed satisfactorily enough to reach the contract stage but had backed out at the last moment. As for why he had changed his mind, no one knew except for Su Yu and the manager.

Su Yu returned to his room in a state of agitation. After calming his nerves, he lay helplessly on his bed. He felt that his current state was completely abnormal. Why else would his heart pound just at the sight of Gu Chen?

The ringing of his phone startled him. The screen displayed a string of digits without a contact name. Thinking it was a scam call, Su Yu ignored it. However, the caller was persistent and rang again immediately after the first call ended. Realizing it might be someone he knew, Su Yu answered.

There was a long silence on the other end. Su Yu said an inquisitive hello but was met only with the sound of quiet breathing.

“You should not have gone to Huaxing Entertainment,” a low male voice finally spoke through the receiver. “Once you become a star, you will be a bigger target. Your every move will be magnified. Fortunately, you came to your senses in time and did not sign. Otherwise, things would have become very difficult for me.”

The person fell silent for a long time before speaking again. “Su Yu, are you throwing a tantrum with me? Or are you deliberately trying to get my attention?”

The voice held a hint of threat and gloom, causing a cold shiver to run down Su Yu’s spine.

“Do not sabotage my plans. You should know that I am never short of people around me. Weigh your options and take care of yourself.” After dropping that final warning, the stranger hung up. When Su Yu tried to call back, the line was already disconnected.

He stared at the string of numbers on the screen. He felt that the man’s voice was strangely familiar, yet he could not place it. This call reminded him of the previous text message from an unknown number which had praised him for doing a good job. Su Yu guessed that this was likely the person who wanted to harm Gu Chen, and the original Su Yu had clearly been involved in some sort of deal with him.

The thought made Su Yu feel extremely uneasy. He bit his lower lip, lost in thought as he considered his next move. He was so preoccupied that he did not even notice Gu Chen knocking on his door.

Gu Chen looked at Su Yu, who was deep in thought on the bed, and recalled the news he had gathered. He could not understand why Su Yu had passed the interview but suddenly refused to sign.

“Su Yu.” Gu Chen’s voice snapped Su Yu out of his reverie. Su Yu looked up at the man in the wheelchair.

Gu Chen was wearing a white shirt with a custom watch on his left wrist. He sat upright with his hands crossed over his lap, looking at Su Yu. He exuded an innate air of authority and an elegance refined over years of high status. Su Yu could not help but think of the nobility Li Wen had mentioned. If Li Wen saw Gu Chen, he would probably be unable to look away. Gu Chen’s aura was the definition of true nobility. In the book, although Gu Chen was the Great Villain, he was also an incredibly charismatic man.

The author’s description of him stated that Gu Chen was perfect from the strands of his hair to his fingertips. The only imperfections in his life, aside from his family background, were his injuries and his marriage to Su Yu.

“Why did you give up on the contract?” Gu Chen asked directly, without any preamble.

Su Yu was shocked that Gu Chen knew he had passed the interview but failed to sign. He assumed one of Gu Chen’s friends must have told him. He was only relieved that no one besides Li Wen knew about the conversation they had in the office. Otherwise, he would have wanted to disappear entirely.

Avoiding Gu Chen’s gaze, Su Yu mumbled awkwardly that he just felt that the entertainment industry was not quite right for him. Gu Chen caught Su Yu’s evasive look. He knew Su Yu was lying and that something specific had forced him to give up on his debut.

The fact that Su Yu wanted to hide it from him caused a flicker of displeasure to rise in Gu Chen’s chest. He laced his fingers together, his brown eyes watching Su Yu with an unreadable, brooding intensity. Su Yu instinctively felt that Gu Chen was unhappy. His intuition told him that Gu Chen was dangerous at this moment. He took a nervous step back, grabbed his pajamas, and blurted out that he was going to take a shower before fleeing into the bathroom.

Gu Chen watched Su Yu’s panicked retreat, his lips pressed into a thin line. It was obvious to anyone that he was in a foul mood. While Gu Chen sat in silence, Su Yu’s phone rang on the bed. Gu Chen saw it was an unknown number. After a moment of hesitation, he picked up the phone and answered.

A man’s voice came from the other end, calling Su Yu’s name. Hearing this voice, Gu Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly. Though he appeared calm, a dangerous aura radiated from him, like a predator discovering someone was coveting its mate. The corners of Gu Chen’s mouth curled into a slight, chilling arc. Those familiar with him would know that he was currently in a very bad mood.

“Who are you?” Gu Chen’s voice was flat and devoid of warmth.

The person on the other end paused, then asked cautiously if he was speaking to Su Yu.

“Who are you?” Gu Chen repeated, offering no answer.

“I am Li Wen, Su Yu’s prospective manager,” Li Wen said.

“Manager?” Upon hearing this, the tension in Gu Chen’s body relaxed slightly. He leaned back in his wheelchair. “Su Yu is in the shower. Why are you calling him?”

The line went silent for a long time. Then came Li Wen’s awkward voice asking if he was Su Yu’s husband. The word husband clearly pleased Gu Chen. The man who rarely smiled now let his lips curve upward, and his voice took on a touch of genuine pleasure as he confirmed it.

“That is great! It is good that you picked up!” Li Wen blurted out. Before Gu Chen could ask for clarification, Li Wen continued, “You have no idea. Su Yu gave up the opportunity to sign with Huaxing all because of you.”

Gu Chen’s brow furrowed as he asked why.

“I do not know either,” Li Wen said, sounding frustrated. “I just analyzed the disadvantages of being married in this industry.”

At this point, Li Wen realized Gu Chen might not know the details. He added that when Su Yu was filling out his forms, he listed his marital status as married even though Li Wen had told him not to fill that part out.

The first half of Li Wen’s sentence caused Gu Chen to freeze, and a soft smile began to form in his eyes. However, the last part of Li Wen’s sentence caused that smile to vanish instantly.

“Why?” Gu Chen’s voice was ice-cold. “He is married to me. He is on my household register.”

As if he felt his statement was not clear enough, he added one final sentence. “He is my man.”

Every word carried a dangerous weight, as well as an intense possessiveness that even Gu Chen himself had not yet fully realized.