The Beautiful Idiot Is Forced To Play The Villain [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

His curled eyelashes fluttered restlessly, a faint pink flush spreading beneath his eyelids. His reddened lips were slightly parted, revealing just the tip of a tender, pink tongue.

The hem of his shirt had been rolled up, exposing a strip of dazzlingly white waistline—so slender it looked as if it might snap under any real pressure.

More importantly, his eyes were filled with a weak, helpless gaze. Even as he was pinned in this embrace, feeling the hands on his body grope from his waist up toward his chest, he had no way to resist.

Wei Chengyang pressed the tip of his nose against Lan Zhen’s neck. Unlike their brief encounter in the office, this close contact made the fragrance seeping from the skin even more apparent—sweet to the point of being cloying.

He sniffed deeply, like a predator marking a female with his scent.

As puffs of breath hit his neck, a large patch of Lan Zhen’s skin turned red instantly. The flush on his face hadn’t faded, making his pale and pinkish face look both pitiful and adorable. Tears pooled in his eyes, looking as if they would spill over at any second, while his hands struggled to escape this suffocating situation.

To Lan Zhen, it felt like an eternity—so long that his neck began to ache. He didn’t even know if the people watching him were still there, but Wei Chengyang’s grip finally seemed to loosen slightly.

He must be tired. After all, he’s just a high school boy—a studious one at that. It’s understandable if his stamina isn’t great.

Surely, out of all these people, I can’t be the only useless “little snack” who can’t lift a finger or shoulder a burden.

Lan Zhen sniffed, blinking back his tears, his mind a jumble of nonsensical thoughts.

Fortunately, he wasn’t so dazed that he forgot his current predicament. Seizing the opportunity, he stomped on Wei Chengyang’s foot. As the other man let go of his wrists in pain, Lan Zhen gave him a violent shove, turned, and bolted.

Wei Chengyang seemed momentarily stunned. His gaze flickered for a second as he watched Lan Zhen flee the auditorium.

Many people in the auditorium wanted to give chase, but most were hesitant to move. Those who rushed to the front paused at the door to glance back at Wei Chengyang.

As the saying goes, “to beat a dog, you must look at its master.” Wei Chengyang’s behavior just now clearly showed a deep interest in Lan Zhen. No matter how desperate they were for revenge, they couldn’t cross the current Rank One.

Seeing no reaction from him—which seemed like a silent permission—more people began to chase after the direction Lan Zhen had fled.

“What exactly are you trying to do?” Mo Changfeng squeezed through the crowd to the front, his expression dark.

Wei Chengyang didn’t answer immediately. A faint smile appeared on his pale face, which, paired with his pitch-black pupils, looked more like a sneer.

“A pampered cat only becomes more obedient when it experiences the dangers of the outside world.”

Mo Changfeng’s expression stiffened. He headed straight for the door to chase Lan Zhen, dropping only two words: “Madman.”

Wei Chengyang didn’t stop him immediately, only speaking when Mo Changfeng reached the door. “You aren’t allowed to go.”

Mo Changfeng stopped in his tracks, cursed inwardly, and then turned around to give him the middle finger. “Dumbass. I don’t give a damn about your rules.”

The auditorium was still full of students who hadn’t joined the chase; his words caused another stir.

The person being provoked, however, remained unfazed. He calmly pointed to three people. “You three, go pin him down. Don’t let him leave.”

Normally, Mo Changfeng wouldn’t fear this. He was strong and tough, and he almost never lost a fight; ordinary students could hardly stop him. But this time was different. The three people pointed out happened to be the three players other than Pei Ran and Xing Shixi—all of whom were experienced and incredibly difficult to deal with. He was likely to be pinned down for quite a while.

[No one has caught up yet. Find a place where people rarely go and hide.]

370’s mechanical voice rang in his ear. Without a shred of doubt, Lan Zhen followed the instructions and hid inside a stall in a men’s restroom.

370, who usually had no reaction, couldn’t help but ask as he burst into the bathroom: [Why here?]

Lan Zhen was panting from the run and took a moment to reply: [Didn’t you tell me to find a place where no one comes? Who comes into a locked bathroom stall?]

Sometimes 370 really wanted to crack his head open to see what was inside. Technically true, but the area outside the stall was high-traffic. Once he was spotted, there would be no escape; he’d be trapped. Its intention was for him to hide in an office or something similar. It seemed that when talking to Lan Zhen, everything had to be spelled out perfectly.

After hearing the explanation, Lan Zhen thought about it and realized it made sense. He decided to move to an office before anyone caught up.

Unfortunately, he was as unlucky as ever. Just as he twisted the lock of the stall, several high school boys walked into the restroom. He heard the faint click of a lighter, followed by the smell of smoke.

Lan Zhen sat on the toilet lid, covering his nose and mouth with his hands to avoid coughing from the smoke, his heart pounding against his ribs. To prevent the people outside from seeing his shoes through the gap under the door, Lan Zhen lifted his feet onto the lid and curled into a ball.

I’ll wipe the lid clean when I leave.

With cold sweat dripping down his back and a miserable expression, Lan Zhen didn’t forget to remind himself to respect public property and be a moral system.

“Where do you think he ran off to? So many of us have been looking for ages and haven’t found a trace.”

“Who knows? Let’s keep looking. He can’t have gone far.”

“Fuck, what are you gonna do when you find him? That face is incredible—he can turn someone on just by cursing them out. The group chats are full of his photos.”

“Your head is full of nothing but that. Disgusting.”

“Oh, shut it. Don’t act like you don’t have the same thoughts.”

The voices outside were chaotic; there seemed to be four or five of them. Before Lan Zhen could think further, he heard another sound.

“What are you all doing in here?” The newcomer coughed twice at the smell of smoke but walked in anyway. Although the voice was slightly different from before, Lan Zhen could still recognize it: it was his roommate who was rarely in the dorm, Lin Yangsi.

“Nothing much. Just thinking of how to catch someone. Brother Lin, you’re his roommate, you should have his contact info, right?” someone replied with a flattering laugh. Based on the tone, their rank wasn’t as high as Lin Yangsi’s.

Before Lan Zhen could process this, Lin Yangsi’s next sentence made his blood run cold.

“I do. Let me see if I can reach him.” Lin Yangsi pulled a phone from his uniform pocket; the sound of it unlocking was crisp and clear.

The restroom wasn’t well-ventilated, and the usual deodorizing was handled by machines. It was summer, and the frantic chirping of cicadas outside filtered in. The stifling heat felt like it was swallowing him whole.

In contrast to Lin Yangsi’s casual ease, sweat began to roll down Lan Zhen’s neck, sliding over his pale skin and leaving a damp mark on his shirt. His hands began to shake uncontrollably as he fumbled for his phone, switching it to silent just before the call could connect.

The name [Lin Yangsi] flashing on the screen felt like a death omen.

[I didn’t do anything to him. Why is he doing this?] Lan Zhen was terrified, his voice carrying a hint of a sob.

370 didn’t comfort him this time, offering only the blunt truth: [You didn’t, but he still harbors hatred for the previous Lan Zhen.]

So, it was actually quite normal for Lin Yangsi to act this way.

Lan Zhen knew this, but he was so tense and afraid that he could hardly think. Any sound from outside made his heart race and his forehead break out in sweat. The phone in his hand felt like a ticking time bomb—one accidental touch could lead to disaster. After the screen flickered on and off several times, the person outside finally gave up on calling him.

“I can’t reach him,” Lin Yangsi’s voice rang out again. His next words sounded like a heavenly melody: “You won’t find him by staying here. You might as well look outside.”

Most of them thought he had a point. Besides, they had only come to the bathroom to slack off and smoke; now that the cigarettes were nearly finished, it was time to move on.

The sound of messy footsteps echoed as they left. Lan Zhen finally let out the breath he had been holding, beginning to take small, shallow gasps of air. The atmosphere had been so suffocating he had almost forgotten to breathe, his small face flushed bright red.

Before he could catch his breath, there were several crisp knocks on the stall door. It sounded as if someone was tapping from the outside—a very clear thud-thud.

“There’s no need to hide anymore. I know you’re in there.”

Lin Yangsi’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was incredibly flat. To Lan Zhen, it sounded like a funeral dirge. His face went deathly pale in an instant.

[370, does… does he really know I’m here?] He didn’t respond to the voice outside, instinctively seeking the system like a drowning man clutching at a straw.

370 stayed silent for a moment before answering: [He does.]

Hearing those words made Lan Zhen’s scalp tingle. He didn’t even know whether to be terrified or relieved. Lin Yangsi had sent the others away before calling out to him; at least he wouldn’t be cornered by a mob of high school boys in a bathroom.

While he was spiraling in hesitation, Lin Yangsi outside didn’t have the patience to wait for him to find a strategy.

“Are you really not coming out? Your heartbeat is so loud I can’t even pretend I don’t hear it.”

The low male voice outside continued to press him. Lan Zhen slowly reached out toward the lock but couldn’t bring himself to turn it.

The original host was so terrible to his roommates. What will happen to me now? Will I be beaten? Or something even worse?

He didn’t open the lock, but Lin Yangsi stopped speaking. The restroom fell into a silence so profound it seemed as if the person outside had left.

Lan Zhen didn’t believe for a second that he had been let off. He was right to be suspicious—the next second, the stall door let out a massive bang, creaking helplessly under a violent kick.

The public facilities at First High were high-quality, but Lin Yangsi was tall and powerful. Under his repeated efforts, the door shook violently, and wood splinters began to fly through the air.

Terrified, Lan Zhen kept backing up, but there was nowhere left to go but the wall.

Finally, the sturdy door couldn’t take it anymore and collapsed inward. Lan Zhen watched the door as it fell toward him and closed his eyes tight.

The expected pain didn’t come. He peeked through a tiny slit.

A tall boy stood at the doorway, his shadow completely enveloping Lan Zhen. He was holding the door panel back with his left hand, the veins on his arm bulging—it looked terrifying.

“Caught you at last.”

Lan Zhen looked at the boy’s build, then at the splintered door above his head, and then back at his own small frame. He was nearly scared witless.