The Delicate Beauty Grabbed the Cannon Fodder Villain’s Script [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 41

The bathroom was silent. Xu Nuo watched Jian Tao expectantly. After a moment of internal reflection, Jian Tao realized his anger had dissipated. He knelt down and asked patiently, “Where are your parents?”

With an innocent expression, Xu Nuo shook his head. “I do not know. I have never seen them.”

Jian Tao was momentarily taken aback. He had not expected the boy to be an orphan. However, he wondered how an orphan could afford to live in such a nice house. “Then why do you live here?” Jian Tao asked curiously.

“I have always been here,” Xu Nuo said earnestly. As he spoke, he reached out to grab Jian Tao, soaking the man’s wrist in the process.

Jian Tao was still lost in thought and felt a slight discomfort on his arm. Just as he was about to pull away, a sudden realization hit him. He had prepared a hot bath for Xu Nuo, so why was the boy’s hand still so cold? While his mind was still puzzled, his hand dipped into the bathtub. The water had turned ice-cold.

Jian Tao looked up at Xu Nuo in shock. The boy’s face was deathly pale and devoid of color. The only normal things about him were his vivid, clear eyes, which were currently staring back with total innocence. Jian Tao immediately withdrew his hand. He subconsciously swallowed hard as the hair on his neck stood on end. He finally realized something was wrong because a normal person could not have such a low body temperature.

“I will be going now. I have work to do,” Jian Tao said. He stood up abruptly as cold sweat trickled down his back. Even though Xu Nuo looked harmless, the moment Jian Tao realized the boy was non-human, he felt an instinctive surge of terror.

Jian Tao hurried toward the exit. Seeing him leave, Xu Nuo grew anxious. With a splash, the boy leapt out of the tub. Without pausing to put on shoes, he scrambled to hug Jian Tao from behind. “Brother, please stay with me a little longer.”

“No, I cannot. I have to go to work,” Jian Tao stammered. The person pressed against his back was as cold as a block of ice.

Xu Nuo was desperate to keep him there. He leaned sideways to look at Jian Tao with watery eyes. “Brother, will you come play with me tomorrow? Will you come visit me often?”

Being held by the cold figure made Jian Tao sneeze. Though Xu Nuo was in the direct path of the sneeze, he was not angry or disgusted. Instead, he let out a silly, delighted laugh. Jian Tao gave him a frustrated glare, but remembering the boy was not human, his annoyance quickly turned back into trepidation. He brushed him off, saying, “Fine, fine, fine.”

Xu Nuo was overjoyed. He let go of Jian Tao, but as the latter turned to leave, the boy grabbed his wrist. “Brother, wait a second.”

Jian Tao did not want to stay for another heartbeat, but Xu Nuo ran to a cabinet, looking back repeatedly to make sure Jian Tao stayed put. He opened the cabinet and pulled out a pile of snacks, stuffing them into Jian Tao’s arms like a child sharing his favorite treats to keep a playmate from leaving. “Brother, these are all for you. If you come tomorrow, there will be more.”

Jian Tao stared blankly at the snacks in his arms. They were all items he liked, and they were individually wrapped, so they should be safe to eat. Perhaps because of the snacks, his heart softened slightly as he looked at the boy, and his urge to flee was not as intense as before. Jian Tao began to wonder if his intelligence was dropping. He questioned how his fear of the supernatural could be neutralized by a few snacks.

“We will see. I am leaving,” Jian Tao said. He quickly exited the room with the treats.

Once outside, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. The hallway was a few degrees warmer than the room. The instant he stepped out, he felt a wave of warmth and shook off the lingering chill. Behind the door, Xu Nuo watched him through the peephole, muttering to himself, “I wonder if he will actually come back.”

Jian Tao returned to the dormitory to drop off the snacks. Just as he was heading back to the hotel, the front desk called him.

“Hello?” Jian Tao answered.

“Is this Jian Tao? The guest in Room 404 is looking for you. Drop whatever you are doing and go there immediately,” the receptionist said sternly.

Jian Tao checked his phone and replied, “Okay.” It seemed the guest in Room 404 was very important, given how seriously the hotel staff treated the matter. Jian Tao hung up and hurried over. Compared to non-human entities, he much preferred a refined and gentle human character.

Arriving at Room 404, Jian Tao knocked. The person inside responded quickly and came to open the door. When it opened, Zhuang Sheng’s exceptionally handsome face appeared, wearing a smile. “The photos from yesterday are ready. I wanted you to come take a look.”

“Great!” Jian Tao responded happily and stepped inside.

As he passed Zhuang Sheng, the man seemed to catch a strange scent. His expression froze for a split second, but by the time Jian Tao looked back, he had returned to his gentle demeanor. Zhuang Sheng had prepared tea and snacks. After Jian Tao sat down, Zhuang Sheng insisted he eat some dessert before showing him the photos.

Jian Tao’s eyes lit up with surprise at the finished products. Although he did not understand art, he could appreciate the beauty in the images. “They are so beautiful.”

Zhuang Sheng leaned in closer and picked out one specific photo. “I like this one the most. You were not ready yet, but the effect is extraordinary. The way the sunlight hits your profile is beautiful and sacred.”

Jian Tao flushed at the praise. Zhuang Sheng certainly knew how to compliment people, but Jian Tao remained humble. “It is only because you are a great photographer.”

The two were sitting very close. Zhuang Sheng’s long hair draped toward Jian Tao, tickling his face. Jian Tao reached up to brush the hair aside and noticed how smooth it felt. Curiously, he reached out to touch it. “Mr. Zhuang, your hair is so soft. It is dark, shiny, and really beautiful.”

Zhuang Sheng smiled warmly and leaned his head even closer to Jian Tao. “It is natural.”

Jian Tao smiled back, thinking to himself that Mr. Zhuang certainly was not one for modesty. As the hand touching the hair brushed against his cheek, Zhuang Sheng’s expression remained unchanged, but he suddenly grabbed Jian Tao’s hand. “Why is your hand so cold?”

Jian Tao pulled his hand back and touched his own face to check. It was indeed quite chilly. He assumed it was because he had spent so much time on the eighth floor.

“Did you go to the eighth floor?” Zhuang Sheng asked casually.

Jian Tao was startled. “Mr. Zhuang, how did you know?”

Zhuang Sheng looked at him, fighting the urge to stroke his hair. His fingertips twitched unconsciously. This little idiot did not need any prodding to reveal everything. “Because the temperature is only low on the eighth floor, so I guessed,” Zhuang Sheng said. His tone turned serious. “The eighth floor has a heavy negative energy. Do not go there anymore.”

“I agree!” Jian Tao nodded in fervent agreement. It was not just negative energy; there were non-human entities up there.

“Go take a hot bath and get some sleep so you do not catch a cold,” Zhuang Sheng said thoughtfully.

“Okay!” Jian Tao’s eyes sparkled. He felt that meeting someone like Zhuang Sheng was a stroke of luck in this strange world.

On his second day there, Jian Tao continued to slack off comfortably. After eating his fill and taking a relaxing hot bath, he fell asleep on the sofa in Zhuang Sheng’s room. The past two days had almost given him the illusion that this world was not that difficult or scary, except for the part where he turned into a rubber person at night. He hoped that would not happen again tonight.

Without those incidents, he would not have to worry about exploring or solving mysteries. He could just cruise through the thirty days. His task was to survive those thirty days and find a way out. As a minor character, his life was easy because he did not actually need to find the exit. He was scripted to die at the hotel entrance on the thirtieth day, likely just one step away from freedom.

Furthermore, his death seemed to be linked to the protagonist, Zhou Jin. Jian Tao guessed that his past actions toward the protagonist’s love interest had likely offended Zhou Jin, leading the latter to sabotage him.

Jian Tao slept deeply, mostly because he had barely slept the night before. Now was the perfect time to catch up. What he did not know was that while he slept, Zhuang Sheng never took his eyes off him. Zhuang Sheng sat on the edge of the sofa, his face expressionless and his eyes unblinking. Finally, he reached out and slowly caressed Jian Tao’s cheek. A smile curled on his lips. “So well-behaved.”

When Jian Tao woke up, he found himself in bed. Turning his head, he saw Zhuang Sheng beside him. The man was propped up on one arm, watching him.

Jian Tao was shocked. “Mr. Zhuang! How did I end up sleeping here?”

“I was afraid you would not be comfortable on the sofa,” Zhuang Sheng said gently.

“Mr. Zhuang, you are too kind,” Jian Tao said. He checked his watch and added sheepishly, “It is almost time to get off work.”

“It is fine. No one will scold you. If you want, you can even stay the night here,” Zhuang Sheng offered.

Jian Tao sat up and replied apologetically, “No, I should head back. I will not disturb your rest anymore. Thank you for today.”

“Alright then,” Zhuang Sheng said, his voice tinged with regret.

Jian Tao thanked him again and left the room. He had not gone far when he ran into the floor manager on patrol. Jian Tao turned red, feeling like a student caught playing truant. He greeted him first. “Manager.”

The manager acknowledged him and walked alongside him, asking casually, “Are you just coming out of Room 404?”

“Yes,” Jian Tao said guiltily.

For a long while, the manager said nothing. Jian Tao stole a glance and saw the manager looking at him with a heavy, somber gaze. Jian Tao’s heart tightened, but the manager quickly forced a smile. “The guest in Room 404 is difficult to deal with, is he not?” the manager asked with feigned concern.

Jian Tao shook his head immediately. “No, he is very easygoing.”

“Oh,” the manager responded thoughtfully. He then muttered, perhaps intentionally, “Then why is it that everyone who went to serve him before never came back?”

“What do you mean by ‘never came back’?” Jian Tao asked, his eyes widening.

The manager simply waved it off with a smile. “It is nothing.”

Jian Tao was still puzzled. He felt the manager held a prejudice against Mr. Zhuang, but he could not figure out why.

“Button up your collar,” the manager said.

“What?” The sudden change of topic caught Jian Tao off guard.

The manager stared deeply at Jian Tao’s collar. According to the grooming standards, the shirt must be buttoned to the very top. Any more than two violations would result in punishment. At that moment, through the open collar, two faint marks could be seen on his fair skin.

“Button your collar,” the manager repeated.

Jian Tao looked down, unsure when his buttons had come undone. Perhaps they rubbed loose while he was sleeping. He realized suddenly and said, “Oh, okay.”

The manager took a deep breath and frowned in irritation. He decided to let the grooming violation slide this time. However, he wondered who had left those two marks. Was it the guest in Room 404?

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