I Entered the Villains’ Den While Pretending to Be a Righteous Man - Chapter 10

After finishing the parfait, Bai Shuijin squinted his eyes contentedly. Like a sincere little mouse, he pressed his palms together in a silent prayer of gratitude to the heavens.

Thank you for letting me eat something this delicious. It’s so good I’m about to die, Husband-Bro.

Seeing Bai Shuijin’s look of pure satisfaction, Li Jie pushed his own untouched parfait toward him to curry favor. “You should eat this one too. I haven’t touched it.”

Bai Shuijin politely declined. “No, thank you for the kind offer.”

“You’re full?”

Bai Shuijin gave a shy smile. “I’ve been cutting back on sugar lately.”

Pei Zhiheng: “…” Li Jie: “…”

Since the eating was done, it was time to get down to business. Li Jie cleared his throat, sounding a bit congested.

Bai Shuijin asked with concern, “Do you have a cold?”

“Huh? Uh… yeah, a bit of one lately.”

In the next second, Bai Shuijin scooted his seat as far away as possible.

Li Jie: “…”

As luck would have it, the sun flared in Li Jie’s eyes, making his nose itch. He let out a sudden sneeze. When he turned his head back, Bai Shuijin had vanished he had literally “flash-stepped” to the opposite side of the table.

Pei Zhiheng was momentarily dazed when someone suddenly sat down beside him, but he quickly let out a mental sneer. He just knew Bai Shuijin would end up sitting next to him; that earlier business was clearly just a little trick to get his attention.

First, he refuses to sit with me, then he sits here just to distract me.

Li Jie composed himself and spoke again. “The reason we asked you here is to talk about getting the original documents from Wang Huanxiu.”

Bai Shuijin opened his mouth. “But I can’t get them.”

“Then you can do it secretly steal them.” Li Jie gestured to him. “Just be alert, and no one will find out.”

He makes it sound so easy, Bai Shuijin thought. The Wang household is full of people. And they aren’t just people they’re a concentration camp of villains.

Stealing wasn’t exactly legal, especially when it came to commercial documents. If he were caught, he’d be rotting in prison.

Bai Shuijin’s small face crumpled. “Isn’t that a crime? Besides, what if I’m caught and beaten to death?”

Beaten to death was actually the mild version. In the original novel, his ending involved being sliced into pieces and thrown into the ocean to feed the fish.

His gaze drifted to Pei Zhiheng beside him. This man was the protagonist, but his final ending wasn’t much better than Wang Huanxiu’s. The author had tried to be “profound” at the end, suggesting the protagonist was “without regrets” because he gave everything to achieve his life’s ambition.

And that ambition? Toppling the business tycoon, Wang Huanxiu.

In the end, the protagonist defeated the villain in a “Pyrrhic victory” style winning the battle but losing the war. Wang Huanxiu’s empire crumbled, but Pei Zhiheng also exhausted his entire family fortune. Both men ended up penniless.

Bai Shuijin closed his eyes. What a mess.

He didn’t understand the world of the rich. Couldn’t these two just be wealthy men and enjoy their happy lives?

He refused to help with the documents for two reasons: first, it was illegal; second, he wanted to prevent Wang Huanxiu from meeting that destitute end.

He hadn’t felt this way initially; he’d just wanted to lay low until the finale and then escape the Wang family. But he realized Wang Huanxiu was actually quite good to him. He gave him food, clothes, and money to spend. Although the man had an unpredictable temper, being consistently unpredictable was a form of emotional stability in its own right. Plus, even after Shuijin had broken the man’s arm, Wang Huanxiu hadn’t blamed him.

He had no family in his previous life and no one had ever treated him like this. Without Wang Huanxiu, he wouldn’t be living in such a beautiful house, spending money he never dared to dream of, or drinking the “little house” milk he loved.

He felt a sense of gratitude toward Wang Huanxiu, so he decided to do something!

Pei Zhiheng frowned at Shuijin’s words. “Wang Huanxiu hit you?”

Bai Shuijin waved his hands frantically. “How could you think that? My Husband-Bro is very good to me.”

Husband-Bro?

The term grated on Pei Zhiheng’s ears.

Bai Shuijin didn’t waste time with them. “I won’t steal the documents. It’s not right, it’s illegal, and it might affect my future chances of becoming a civil servant. You should stop trying to fight with my Husband-Bro. If this project fails, aren’t there others?”

“There’s no need to hang yourself on one tree; there are plenty of forests out there.”

With that, Bai Shuijin stood up, paid for his parfait, and walked out of the café.

Li Jie never expected Bai Shuijin to refuse them and so decisively, even with Pei Zhiheng right there.

Pei Zhiheng’s mind was now filled with the words “Husband-Bro” that Shuijin had chirped with such reliance. He couldn’t believe his ears, and he certainly couldn’t believe the boy had actually left. Bai Shuijin had never refused him before.

Li Jie looked at Pei Zhiheng’s expression. “About the original documents…” What do we do?

“Is he in love with Wang Huanxiu?”

Li Jie was interrupted, his train of thought breaking as he answered. “How is that possible? They’ve only been married a few days. I think he’s just resentful and doing this on purpose to show you.”

Pei Zhiheng’s brow smoothed over. “Really?”

“What else could it be?” Li Jie analyzed. “He was clearly a bit scared when he mentioned Wang Huanxiu. He acted like he didn’t want to sit with you when he first arrived just to be dramatic he wanted to spite you for not reacting when he married someone else. But eventually, he couldn’t help himself and sat next to you anyway.”

That made sense. Bai Shuijin was hopelessly devoted to him; how could he possibly fall for someone else?

Li Jie fretted over the documents. “Next time, you be more proactive. We’ll talk to him again.”

Recalling Bai Shuijin’s new appearance, Pei Zhiheng didn’t refuse this time. He looked down at his phone, but those sweet chirps of “Husband-Bro” were still echoing in his mind.

Until he opened a group chat.

“Does everyone know? Wang Huanxiu’s arm is broken.” “Holy shit! How did it happen?” “Word is Bai Shuijin did it.” “Does Bai Shuijin have the guts for that?”

Bai Shuijin broke Wang Huanxiu’s arm?

Pei Zhiheng stared at the text. Could it be that Wang Huanxiu tried to be intimate and Shuijin resisted, injuring him in the process?

Seeing those words, Pei Zhiheng’s mood improved. He decided that next time, he’d give Bai Shuijin a little reward he’d let the boy hold his hand.

Bai Shuijin walked out of the café and stood on the street corner. The café was located right at the intersection, and he stood there waiting for the light to change.

Sitting in a nearby car, Jiang You turned and spotted him. Mainly because the impression the boy had left last time was so striking, he captured him in his gaze immediately.

Wrapping his head in a scarf like a little idiot.

He took out his phone and called Wang Huanxiu. “President Wang, guess who I see?” He tapped his finger on the steering wheel.

The voice on the other end was cold. “Who?”

“Who else? Bai Shuijin.”

“I’m hangng up if there’s nothing else.”

“Don’t hang up! He’s at the corner waiting for a light.”

Wang Huanxiu was unmoved; he had a meeting to attend. Just then, Jiang You caught sight of Pei Zhiheng through the café’s glass display windows. Pei Zhiheng happened to be sitting right by the window.

Jiang You’ve brow furrowed. He craned his neck to confirm the person in the shop to make sure he wasn’t mistaken. “It looks like he came out to meet Pei Zhiheng.”

Bai Shuijin eventually took the bus home. He got off at the stop and walked a kilometer to the villa district. Just as he was about to enter the gates, he saw a beggar squatting under a tree nearby, holding a cracked bowl.

How pitiful.

Bai Shuijin went over, dropped two yuan into the bowl, and stuffed a pack of spicy strips into the man’s hand.

The beggar looked at the spicy strips in confusion.

Bai Shuijin radiated kindness. “This is all I can give you.”

He had to save the other nineteen packs for himself. With that, he vanished like a wisp of dust, his silhouette hiding his merit. This was the wealthiest district in the city. The beggar looked at the two yuan in his bowl.

“…”

Dammit, I’ve met a real beggar.

Bai Shuijin arrived home at exactly five o’clock. Dinner would be in a little over an hour. Seeing him return, Mama Li came over to ask, “Master Bai, is there anything special you’d like to eat today?”

Wang Huanxiu had a social engagement tonight and wouldn’t be back for dinner, so she only had to make what Shuijin liked.

Something I want to eat?

Bai Shuijin asked, “Mama Li, do you know how to make Western food the kind they serve in restaurants?”

He had seen a couple in an idol drama go out for a Western dinner last night, and he was craving it. His experience with “Western food” was limited to KFC and McDonald’s; he had never even heard of the fine-dining variety.

“I can! Of course I can!” Mama Li clapped her hands happily. She used to be the assistant to a head chef at a Western restaurant. She was actually highly capable, but her timid personality meant she didn’t like to stand out. Later, when the Wang family offered a better salary and easier work, she switched over.

Bai Shuijin wanting Western food was like her returning to her old trade!

Mama Li immediately went to the kitchen to prepare. Bai Shuijin got his wish and had a Western dinner.

Every dish was exquisite. Every dish was also tiny. Mama Li told him that in Western restaurants, the portions were always this size.

Bai Shuijin: “…”

No wonder there are so many perverts among the rich. If they’re always this hungry, how could they not be perverts?

Mama Li made fifteen courses in total a mix of meats and vegetables. After eating, Bai Shuijin went silently to the sofa to eat his spicy strips.

He stuffed a handful into his mouth. That was close. I almost starved to death.

It wasn’t until ten o’clock at night that the sound of a car engine came from the courtyard. Bai Shuijin sprang up from the sofa. Husband-Bro is back.

He opened the floor-to-ceiling window and stood barefoot on the wooden deck outside. In the courtyard, the butler was already waiting at the spot where Wang Huanxiu would get out of the car.

The wooden planks were a bit cold under his feet. Many people were out to greet Wang Huanxiu; Bai Shuijin felt he should be even more enthusiastic.

He waved his hands vigorously.

“Husband-Bro!” “Husband-Bro! Look at me!”

Wang Huanxiu heard the noise as he stepped out of the car. He cast a cold glance sideways and saw Bai Shuijin standing before the window, framed by the warm indoor lights. He was waving his arms in the air, wearing a beige knit sweater and baggy jeans, his fair feet bare. He was practically radiating youthful vitality.

Seeing Wang Huanxiu look at him, Bai Shuijin bent his waving arms and formed a large “heart” over his head.

Take my love! Catch it!

“…”

Seeing Wang Huanxiu looking in Shuijin’s direction, the butler also looked over. Although he didn’t particularly like the boy, the house had certainly become much livelier since his arrival.

Wang Huanxiu’s mood was the most important thing in this household. Looking at Bai Shuijin, who was glowing like a little peacock, the butler noted that the wooden deck had become the boy’s stage. He was waving and making hearts, and his outfit cute and youthful suited him well. The slender arms revealed by the knit sweater added a touch of softness.

The butler interjected, “Master Bai is dressed quite nicely today.”

In the next second, Wang Huanxiu’s face instantly darkened.

Butler: “!”