Having Played the Villain for Ten Years, I Came Back - Chapter 15

Wen Linyu knew Gu Chi wouldn’t leave easily, but he hadn’t expected the man to be this shameless!

Gu Chi wasn’t sitting in the chair anymore. He seemed to have realized that forcing Wen Linyu to sit on his lap in front of so many people had truly crossed a line, even though he still didn’t understand the concept of romantic love.

Gu Chi’s intuition warned him that if he continued like that, there was a high probability he would regret it later or be burned to ash by a certain inner fire.

Cultivators always trusted their instincts; to them, it was an early warning system.

However, Gu Chi hadn’t given up entirely. Although he stopped forcing Wen Linyu onto his lap, he remained invisible, harassing the boy intermittently.

He would either lean close to Wen Linyu’s ear and whisper that a certain classmate had a massive nose or that the teacher was secretly picking their toes under the podium, or he would simply blow a breath of air against the back of Linyu’s ear.

Whether it was his words or the warmth of his breath, Wen Linyu couldn’t stop himself from trembling slightly.

That reaction made Gu Chi’s heart itch. Why did I never notice before how adorable my little disciple is?

Yes, adorable. Gu Chi was discovering that whenever he touched Wen Linyu, a hollow place in his chest was rapidly filled with a certain emotion. It was unfamiliar, but surprisingly pleasant.

In addition to watching Wen Linyu’s sensitive reactions, he discovered a new hobby during the final class of the morning—hair.

Wen Linyu’s hair was short but soft and felt wonderful to the touch. Gu Chi liked to wind the strands around his fingertips, giving him the illusion that Wen Linyu himself was entwined around his hand.

So, having a disciple isn’t just about the achievement of teaching; it’s also this much fun, Gu Chi thought. Had I known, I would have taken on a few more.

But as soon as the thought occurred, Gu Chi frowned. He had mentored many subordinates, and some were technically his disciples, yet the moment he imagined their faces in this context, he felt nothing but disgust even a bit of nausea.

That won’t do. Unless there were several Wen Linyus.

The Demon Lord didn’t dwell on the question for long. He only knew that being near Wen Linyu brought him pleasure, and as a demonic cultivator, he lived for the moment.

Wen Linyu found the morning classes to be an absolute torment. He desperately wanted to throw caution to the wind and fight Gu Chi.

But with so many people in the classroom, a fight would surely harm the innocent.

If Teacher were here, he’d probably scold me again for putting others first, Linyu thought. He truly hadn’t achieved a heart of stone yet. He could be ruthless toward the villains who bullied him, but he couldn’t bring himself to strike down ordinary people who had done him no wrong.

Teacher…

Thinking of his teacher and then his current predicament, Wen Linyu felt a wave of disappointment. He was disappointed that his teacher hadn’t come, and disappointed that he hadn’t studied hard enough. If he had worked a hundred times harder, would he be so helpless now?

He didn’t let himself sink into despair for long. Drowning in emotion wouldn’t help him.

Rather than fostering negative feelings, it was better to think of ways to rapidly increase his cultivation—or find a way to send Gu Chi back to his own world.

There were ways to increase cultivation quickly, many of them, but most were evil and required sacrifices, much like those practiced by demonic cultivators. Others were incredibly dangerous, involving life-and-death stakes.

Wen Linyu wouldn’t touch the evil paths; he wouldn’t even consider sacrifice. Moreover, given Gu Chi’s hatred for evil cultivators, choosing that path wouldn’t lead to a good end anyway.

As for the dangerous methods, they were worth a try.

Beyond that, Wen Linyu thought of another route: the System. 998 was the one who managed his travel between worlds.

If he could find it, he could strike another deal to send Gu Chi back.

The risk for this method was low and reliable, but the difficulty lay in how to actually find the System.

Wen Linyu walked along the campus grounds, lost in thought. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Gu Chi was no longer hiding; he had appeared openly on the campus. His demeanor was so natural, showing no sign of unfamiliarity with the new world, that passing teachers and students simply assumed he was a faculty member. No one noticed anything amiss.

It was now lunch and the midday break, giving Wen Linyu a brief moment to breathe and think. At least he was out of that classroom and no longer trapped in the narrow space of his desk by Gu Chi.

Others couldn’t see, but Linyu’s perception was clear, and the experience had been incredibly humiliating.

The school had three cafeterias; Linyu went to the largest one. It had three floors, each offering different cuisines and many service windows. The other two cafeterias were smaller, one of which allowed for a-la-carte ordering comparable to high-end restaurants.

Wen Linyu chose the largest one primarily because of the crowd.

Gu Chi was acting slightly more human now, refraining from touching him in public so he could eat in peace.

But just as the thought crossed his mind, Gu Chi’s hand reached out again, catching the bite of food Linyu was about to eat.

Wen Linyu was beyond frustrated. He slammed his chopsticks down. “What are you doing now?”

He stole my food this morning, and now he’s doing it again? How childish!

Gu Chi stared at the food Wen Linyu had roughly dropped back into the bowl. He blinked in surprise before tilting his chin toward the bowl. “Don’t you hate Sichuan peppercorns?”

Wen Linyu froze for a second. Looking down, he saw two peppercorns in the dish.

He wasn’t allergic to them, but as a child, Wu Shuhao had forced a large bag of them into his mouth, holding his lips shut so he couldn’t spit them out. The numbing pain and the feeling of suffocation had left a deep impression. Later, it became so severe that he would tremble at the sight of even a single peppercorn.

Though he had grown up and trained under his teacher for ten years—meaning the fear was gone—the hatred remained.

But how did Gu Chi know he hated them?

Wen Linyu lowered his eyes and picked up his chopsticks again, picking out the peppercorns. His confusion was now laced with a strange, eerie feeling.

Between yesterday and today, he hadn’t had time to think deeply, but now the oddities were piling up.

He had been Gu Chi for ten years and had never heard anyone mention that Gu Chi preferred men. Moreover, none of Gu Chi’s residences contained personal items belonging to anyone else; he clearly lived alone and possessed a strong sense of territoriality.

Given Gu Chi’s status, power, and wealth, if he were truly lustful, he would never lack companions.

So, when exactly had the man set his sights on him? Or was this all just a form of revenge? Was the Demon Lord so displeased by an outsider occupying his body for ten years that he was now retaliating?

Wen Linyu shook his head. He couldn’t figure it out yet, nor could he truly read Gu Chi.

Linyu finished his meal, though he did so under someone’s unblinking gaze. Anyone passing by instinctively cast a look their way.

Gu Chi’s stare was completely unrestrained. Even from a distance, Linyu could hear the students whispering.

“Holy crap! Is that a new teacher? Why is he acting like a total creep?”

“Doesn’t look like a teacher. Is he the guy who just opened the horse ranch near the academy?”

“Nonsense. I know that guy; he’s over forty. He wouldn’t dare harass a student like that in school!”

“Wait, the one being harassed looks a bit familiar!”

“Hah, that’s the guy who beat someone half-dead at the gate on Monday. This creep is actually brave; he’s definitely going to get punched!”

Wen Linyu closed his eyes wearily, put away his tray, and left the cafeteria. He really wanted to punch someone, but for now, he simply wasn’t strong enough.

The midday break was spent in the dorms. The school’s dormitory conditions were quite good: four people to a room, equipped with air conditioning and showers. While the space was limited, the materials for the beds, desks, and wardrobes were high-quality, and everyone had their own space. It was comparable to, if not better than, a university dorm.

Wen Linyu had nothing to say to his roommates. He had been an outcast before, and he had no desire to socialize now.

Moreover, a certain someone followed him like a shadow.

Gu Chi had hidden himself again; only Wen Linyu could sense him.

The dorm beds were single-sized. As soon as Wen Linyu lay down, a body pressed against his back. He took several deep breaths. Fortunately, Gu Chi didn’t do much else; he simply draped a heavy arm across Linyu’s waist, pulling him flush against his chest and touching his hair. He didn’t make any further moves.

Wen Linyu breathed a small sigh of relief, unaware that the roommate across from him was looking at his bed as if they had seen a ghost.

The roommate truly felt like he was witnessing a haunting. Help! Wen Linyu clearly came in alone and lay down alone, so why does it look like there are two people under his covers?!

Holy crap! Am I experiencing a daytime school urban legend?

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