Having Played the Villain for Ten Years, I Came Back - Chapter 24

The expert jolted awake from a deep sleep, his first instinct to curse whoever was heartless enough to disturb his rest. But out of the corner of his eye, he spotted that black shadow by the bed, and the terror snapped him wide awake.

“Who are you? You’re trespassing! I-I-I’m calling the police!” He scrambled frantically for the phone by his pillow. He managed to grab it, but before a shred of safety could register, he looked up and realized he was no longer in his bedroom. He had been transported to a pitch-black space.

Thud. The sound was his rear end making contact with the hard ground.

“Ouch!”

“Heh. A scammer dares to call the police?” A chilly voice rang out, followed by a dim light illuminating the dark void.

As he took in his surroundings, the expert began to swallow convulsively. This boundless, empty darkness stretched infinitely beyond the light source; it looked terrifyingly like a scene from a horror movie. Heavens, where was he kidnapped to?!

And… “scammer”?

The expert thought desperately until a light bulb went off in his head. He remembered—could this be that idiot “Master” who had paid him tens of thousands in consultation fees?

Holy crap! No way, brother, you’re playing for keeps?

“I just fudged some advice for money, it’s not that serious, right?” The expert’s heart filled with green regret. If he had known, he would have given the correct strategy the first time! Now he had the money but might not have the life to spend it!

“Not that serious? You’re the first person who ever dared to deceive this Venerable One.” Gu Chi sneered and raised his hand.

Under the suffocating aura of death, the expert performed a direct sliding kneel. His survival instinct made his brain work at lightning speed: “Wait, wait, wait! I can make up for it! Please give me a chance! Truly, this time I absolutely won’t lie!”

“If it doesn’t work this time, it won’t be too late to kill me then!”

Hearing this, Gu Chi’s killing intent receded slightly. The point was valid; the man had sworn an oath and his life was in Gu Chi’s hands—he could be killed at any moment. If he could actually be useful, it wouldn’t hurt to kill him a little later.

A minute later, the expert wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and let out a long sigh of relief. He swore that he would never do another dishonest thing as long as he lived! If I even have a future, waaaah.

The expert forced himself not to observe or pay attention to this bizarre, supernatural space, focusing all his mental energy on the demands of this lethal client.

In truth, what this idiot—no, this noble customer wanted was simple: he wanted a sweet romance with his disciple that would last forever.

Because he had zero experience and had performed those “creepy” operations, he had nearly ruined everything.

“So, what is the situation now?” the expert asked cautiously.

Mentioning Wen Linyu made Gu Chi’s mood improve significantly. “He isn’t very angry anymore.”

The expert thought to himself: I know that, and I also know he literally tried to seduce you, but… Remembering the “advice” he’d sent Gu Chi previously, the expert cut off that line of thought immediately. If the Demon Lord realized what he had missed out on because of those lies, he would be dead beyond dead.

He wiped more sweat and asked Gu Chi what he wanted most at this stage.

Gu Chi didn’t know. If he had to say: “I want Ayu to give me a gift, and I want Ayu to look at me more.”

He was still brooding over the fact that Wen Xi had taken that ribbon bird Linyu made. He hadn’t received one yet!

The expert nodded, indicating he understood. “That’s simple.”

Gu Chi fixed him with a stare, and the expert pressed on under the pressure: “Asking for it directly isn’t the best strategy. While your partner would likely satisfy you, it lacks ‘flavor.’ Plus, since you’re in the ‘atonement’ phase, asking for gifts is a bit inappropriate. Instead, you should give him gifts.”

“Don’t get bogged down in the value or form of the gift; focus on the sentiment. As for getting more of his attention… pardon the offense!”

The expert tremblingly looked Gu Chi up and down. On closer inspection, he realized the man was incredibly handsome—sharp, deep features and a build like a top-tier male model. With looks like that, attracting attention should be easy.

“Freshness,” the expert declared decisively.

In the morning, Wen Linyu woke to a faint, unique floral fragrance. Opening his eyes, he saw a light purple flower on his nightstand. It wasn’t an ordinary plant; it was a spirit plant with a very auspicious meaning.

It was called a Star-Luck Flower, which shared the same meaning as “good luck.” It only bloomed when the stars were at their brightest during the year. Most were black and inconspicuous in the dark, but the purple ones were the rarest; they emitted a soft starlight in dim places and would never wither for a hundred years. It carried a light scent and increased the “luck value” of anyone carrying it was literal good fortune.

In Gu Chi’s world, many cultivators made these flowers into accessories for luck when drawing talismans or refining artifacts.

Linyu had spent ten years there and had seen many such accessories, but this was his first time seeing a real flower. His cultivation path hadn’t required such items back then.

The purple petals were small, and looking closely, each one was shaped like a tiny star. Even though it had been picked, not a single petal had fallen.

Wen Linyu’s eyes crinkled as they reflected the starlight of the flower.

Sending me luck first thing in the morning?

After admiring it for a while, he got up to wash. He searched the villa and found an antique vase that best matched the flower one of President Wen’s prized possessions and placed the flower inside.

The butler wanted to speak up several times. That vase was an heirloom President Wen had bid 90 million for! He usually only brought it out for major business partners to look at, and now it was being used for a flower? And a tiny, nameless one at that!

But President Wen wasn’t here, and the butler didn’t dare cross Linyu.

Wen Linyu returned to the room with the vase, but Gu Chi wasn’t back yet.

They hadn’t slept together last night. In Gu Chi’s words, he didn’t have the “qualifications” to sleep in Linyu’s bed yet. He was being quite self-aware—how could he enjoy such perks during his atonement phase?

After some thought, Linyu didn’t stop him. Simple seduction was inferior to winning the heart.

He had been too insecure before. It seemed his weight in Teacher’s heart was far greater than he had imagined.

Gu Chi didn’t go to another room in the villa. As he’d told the butler, he didn’t need one. His spatial storage was huge, containing a literal immortal’s dwelling with everything he needed. Besides, with his cultivation, sleep was optional.

Just as Linyu set the vase down, Gu Chi appeared.

Linyu’s eyes lingered on him, unable to look away.

Today, Gu Chi was dressed very differently. His usual wardrobe was all dark greys and blacks, fitting his “unapproachable villain” persona. Today, however, he was dressed casually. His whole aura seemed to have brightened, and even the color of his eyes seemed softer. This was a side of Gu Chi he had never seen.

Gu Chi pulled uncomfortably at his shirt collar. “What? Is it strange?”

Wen Linyu shook his head. “No. It looks very good.”

At that, Gu Chi’s chin lifted slightly. It seems keeping that scammer alive was useful after all.

The two went downstairs for breakfast. Just as they sat down, the sound of a car came from the driveway.

Someone was back.

After a moment, Wen Cheng entered. He looked even worse than he had a few days ago—pale as paper, as if his life force had been drained. His face and hands were skeletal, and his legs remained in the wheelchair.

Wen Cheng looked exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept for a day. Seeing Linyu and Gu Chi eating breakfast, he looked like he was about to snap.

“Brother, you can actually still eat?” Wen Cheng blurted out.

Wen Linyu took another bite of food and looked at him. The meaning was clear: Why shouldn’t I be able to eat?

Wen Cheng choked on his words. His parents had treated Linyu so poorly that Linyu had no reason to worry about them—he might even want to celebrate their misfortune. “But. Wen Xi is also falling ill.”

Wen Linyu’s hand paused on his utensils.

Gu Chi spoke up then: “You’re dying, and she’s dying too.”

Wen Cheng’s heart skipped a beat. He looked at Gu Chi with dissatisfaction. “What are you talking about? It’s just an illness, it can’t be that serious!”

Gu Chi let out a cold huff and ignored him.

Wen Linyu spoke slowly, asking a question: “Don’t you find it too coincidental that your and Wen Xi’s birthdays are the same as those two?”

“Also, your legs—why did they suddenly become like this? When Wen Hongbo’s legs were ruined, yours were fine. Now he is healed, and you are the one in a wheelchair.”

As Wen Cheng listened, a thunderclap seemed to go off in his brain, leaving him drenched in a cold sweat.

He suddenly remembered visiting Wen Hongbo in the hospital. Wen Hongbo had praised him, saying adopting him was the best decision he’d ever made and that Cheng was worth ten of Wen Linyu. He even promised him a large inheritance.

Wen Cheng had been moved. Then, he’d heard Wen Hongbo sighing that his legs were getting worse and that his time might be short.

As if possessed, Wen Cheng had said: “I wish I could bear this for you, Dad.”

At the time, Wen Hongbo had smiled with great relief. Thinking back now, that smile was incredibly eerie. Shortly after, Wen Hongbo’s health improved, while Wen Cheng suddenly fell ill.

The more he thought about it, the more his skin crawled.

Wen Xi’s situation was identical. She came back to visit Lin Wanxiu; Lin Wanxiu got better, and Wen Xi became frail.

They had thought it was just a coincidence. It turned out to be far too “convenient.”

He didn’t want to believe it, but Wen Linyu’s basement room and the recent bizarre events had shaken his worldview.

Had my adoption into this family been a calculated move from the very beginning?

Wen Cheng felt like he was falling apart. He truly cared for this family and viewed the Wens as his parents. Who could accept being used as a tool from day one?

Wen Linyu didn’t say more, nor did he offer comfort.

Whether or not they wanted help was something they had to decide for themselves. There was no reason for him to offer his services unprompted.

After breakfast, Linyu had things to do. He hadn’t visited the address he’d obtained from the Wu family yet. He needed to know who was behind the scenes, planning these disgusting schemes for the Wens and the Wus.

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