After Redeeming the Paranoid Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 3

Su Yu finished his meal, but Gu Chen had still not appeared. Driven by a sense of humanitarian duty, Su Yu turned to the butler standing nearby and asked, “Does Gu Chen not eat?”

The butler stiffened slightly before replying, “When the Young Master is hungry, he will give us his orders directly.”

Su Yu fell silent for a moment but couldn’t help asking, “Did he eat lunch?”

The butler hesitated visibly but eventually answered, “No.”

“He hasn’t eaten all day?” Su Yu was genuinely shocked. “Does he think he’s becoming an immortal who can live on air?”

The butler did not respond.

Su Yu sighed and set down his napkin. “Please take me to his room. This house is too big; I’m afraid I’ll get lost.”

The butler glanced at Su Yu but remained silent. It was then that Su Yu realized his mistake: Gu Chen was the master of this house. Every servant followed his orders, and asking the butler to take him to see Gu Chen was essentially asking the man to defy his master’s wishes. The butler was too smart for that.

“Actually, just tell me where his room is,” Su Yu amended. “I’ll find him myself.”

Following the butler’s incredibly convoluted directions, Su Yu set off to find Gu Chen. However, his mission was nearly thwarted before it began. Standing before an elevator that wouldn’t budge no matter how hard he pressed the button, Su Yu turned stiffly toward the butler. “Uncle Wang, his room is on the fourth floor.”

The butler said nothing.

“This house is so big. I’m a little scared to take the stairs,” Su Yu added, glancing at the layout. “It’s quite dark.”

The butler remained silent.

“So… can I borrow your elevator card?” Su Yu finally cut to the chase.

This time, the butler moved. He adjusted his glasses and replied formally, “Young Master Su Yu, it is not that I refuse you, but only the Young Master and I have the authority to use the elevator in this villa.”

“I know, that’s why I’m asking to borrow it,” Su Yu said, his patience beginning to crumble.

“I do not dare to make decisions for the Young Master,” the butler replied. “I must trouble Young Master Su Yu to take the stairs.”

After a brief standoff, Su Yu realized he couldn’t win. Dejected, he trudged toward the staircase. By the time he reached the fourth floor, panting for breath, the sight of the seemingly endless corridor made him want to collapse. For a moment, every bloody scene from every horror movie he had ever watched flooded his mind.

He walked tremulously toward what he thought was Gu Chen’s room. Just as he reached for the door, he heard a slight rustle from inside, sounding almost like someone in a state of panic. Su Yu froze, then knocked.

“Who is it?” Gu Chen’s voice came from within—cold, yet thinly veiling an underlying agitation.

“It’s me,” Su Yu hesitated before clarifying, “Su Yu.”

“What are you doing here?”

Gu Chen’s displeasure was palpable; his voice was like ice.

“I just wanted to call you for dinner,” Su Yu said, his hands tightening nervously. “You haven’t eaten all day. It’s bad for your health…”

“Get out!” Gu Chen barked.

Perhaps it was because he had been told to “get lost” too many times that day, but in a sudden fit of pique, Su Yu found the courage to twist the doorknob and walk straight in.

“Is it a crime to care about you?” Su Yu snapped. “Fine, starve to death then! We didn’t have a wedding, but we have a marriage certificate. Once you’re dead, I’ll inherit your fortune, travel the world, and spend all your money on handsome young men!”

The moment the words left his mouth, Su Yu realized he had just trespassed into the territory of a living Yama. Every hair on his body stood on end.

Gu Chen watched as the previously arrogant Su Yu suddenly lost his momentum, transforming from a bristling cat into a cowering rabbit. A slight curve touched the corner of Gu Chen’s mouth. The palpitations he felt from a nightmare moments ago began to settle because of Su Yu’s sudden intrusion.

“They have already taken everything from me,” Gu Chen said, his voice low in the darkness. “The only thing left to leave you is this house. What money would you use to live a life of debauchery?”

The room was pitch black. Standing at the door, Su Yu couldn’t see the furniture, but the light from the hallway allowed him to vaguely see Gu Chen sitting on the bed. Gu Chen’s head was slightly bowed, his fringe obscuring his eyes. The shadows seemed to wrap him in a shroud of melancholy.

Su Yu hadn’t expected the proud Gu Chen to look so heartbroken. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond. “That’s not true,” he said hoarsely. “The Gu Chen I know isn’t like this.”

“And what kind of person is the Gu Chen you know?” Gu Chen looked at him. He had an intuitive feeling that the Su Yu before him today was remarkably different.

“I…” Su Yu started to describe the character from the book, but the words caught in his throat.

If the light had been better, Su Yu would have seen the playfulness in Gu Chen’s eyes. But in the gloom, all Su Yu perceived was a soul-crushing despondency. His heart ached. Though he hadn’t known him long, the Gu Chen in the book was always proud. To see such a man, lose everything overnight was like seeing a bird meant for the sky having its wings clipped, forced to crawl through the mud.

Su Yu opened his mouth to speak, but the words failed him. He clenched his fists at his sides. “I… I’ll go bring your dinner up for you.”

With that, he fled the suffocating darkness of the room.

Left alone, Gu Chen watched the retreating figure. He ran away… he must be afraid of me, he thought uncontrollably.

The thought startled him. He didn’t understand why he was paying so much attention to Su Yu today, or why these strange feelings were surfacing. He shifted his body with difficulty and sighed. His legs still had no sensation.

He knew the car accident was orchestrated by Gu Yian. When he woke up, the shareholders he had once kept under his thumb had already been swayed to Gu Yian’s side. Those who remained hesitant had defected the moment they saw him paralyzed and unable to care for himself.

In the end, after everyone else had left, only Su Yu remained.

Gu Chen let out a self-mocking laugh. He didn’t understand what was wrong with Su Yu—why stay by his side now? If Su Yu was after his real estate or his meager remaining shares, he was bound for disappointment. Gu Chen had already written a will leaving everything to an orphanage. Only this house remained, and even that might eventually be snatched by Gu Yian.

Exhaustion eventually pulled him toward sleep, but just as he began to drift off, the door creaked. Gu Chen’s eyes snapped open, his cold gaze flashing with instinctive panic.

“Who!”

“It’s me, Su Yu.” Su Yu stood at the door holding a tray, looking startled by Gu Chen’s reaction. “Can I come in?”

“What now?” Gu Chen’s voice was harsh from the sudden awakening.

Su Yu ignored the hostility and stepped further into the room. “I brought you food. You have to eat, no matter what, right?”

Gu Chen watched him, his hand tightening on the bedsheet until it wrinkled. His expression was unreadable. After a suffocating silence, he finally spoke: “Come in.”

Su Yu exhaled in relief. He took a few steps but stopped. “Can I turn on the light? I can’t see, and I’m afraid I’ll trip and spill the food.”

Gu Chen saw right through him. This fellow was clearly afraid of falling himself but had found a dignified excuse. The sight of the cautious Su Yu made Gu Chen’s lips curl slightly. This rabbit-hearted man had actually learned how to lie.

“Turn it on,” Gu Chen said.

As the lights flickered to life, Gu Chen squinted, his eyes unaccustomed to the brightness. When his vision cleared, he saw Su Yu. Because the light was behind the younger man, Su Yu seemed to be enveloped in a soft, glowing halo.

Gu Chen’s heart skipped a beat. He suppressed the sudden flutter with a scoff. “Put it down and leave.”

Su Yu was baffled by the sudden change in mood, but he bit his tongue. He set up the small over-bed table and placed the tray down. “I don’t know what I did to make you angry,” he said softly, “but please eat. Your body belongs to you; don’t hurt yourself because of others.”

Gu Chen glanced at him and managed a stiff “Thank you,” followed immediately by a cold “You can go now.”

Su Yu stiffened. “Pardon the intrusion,” he whispered, and left.

Gu Chen sat on the bed, watching Su Yu until he disappeared. For some reason, his chest felt tight. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, as if trying to exhale all his pent-up emotions.

He had never liked the light. Similarly, he did not like Su Yu, who had come bursting in with that light. It was too bright. It made him feel, utterly at a loss.