The Protagonist and the Villain Both Kissed Me [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 14

Su Xi pretended not to notice Duan Cheng’s subtle movements, struggling to wrench his hand free. However, while the man’s actions appeared gentle, the actual force behind them was too great. After several failed attempts, Su Xi fell silent for a moment before suddenly leaning in and biting down hard.

Duan Cheng let out a muffled groan and released his hold. He looked down at the clear teeth marks on his hand and laughed out of sheer anger. He lifted his eyes toward Su Xi, who was steadily retreating, and began to close the distance step by step.

Su Xi backed away until he hit the cold countertop. He pursed his lips and remained silent, only cautiously observing the man’s expression out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that the man’s face remained calm, he felt a wave of bitterness. He muttered in a small voice, “You apologized, yet you’re still giving me such an attitude…”

His voice was very faint, but Duan Cheng heard him anyway. He gripped Su Xi’s chin, forcing him to look up, and spoke in a low, deep voice, “Then how do you want me to coax you?”

“Who wants you to coax them? I’m not accepting your apology.” Just talking about it made Su Xi’s eyes sting. He frowned and turned his head away, refusing to look at the man.

Predictably, the system’s notification rang in his mind. He suppressed the urge to smile, and when he finally looked up at Duan Cheng, his gaze was filled with caution and hesitation. After a moment of silence, he looked into Duan Cheng’s unruffled eyes; a storm seemed to be gathering within those obsidian depths.

“Why have you gone quiet again?” Su Xi’s eyelashes trembled. He pushed away Duan Cheng, who was a head taller than him, and turned to open the faucet to wash his hands. Cool water dripped from his fingertips.

Duan Cheng stood behind Su Xi, watching him. On the surface, he was calm and collected, but a massive wave of turmoil was surging within his heart. His gaze fell on the boy’s reddened neck; the scent emanating from that patch of skin was strange and pungent. It was the scent of another Alpha.

Su Xi’s back was toward Duan Cheng, and his expression was one of great disappointment. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, only to catch Duan Cheng’s eyes filled with ferocity. The way the man stared at him was like a predator eyeing a prize he was determined to win. Su Xi couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear.

“Su Xi, were you serious about what you said today?” After a long while, Duan Cheng suddenly spoke.

It took Su Xi two seconds to realize he was referring to the breakup. He frowned and answered without hesitation, “Of course I—”

Before the words could leave his mouth, a notification rang in his ear: the Salvation Value had plummeted to 40. His pupils dilated in shock, and he immediately changed his tune: “was joking! I was just angry. A-Cheng, you know I like you very much. Give me a hug, and let’s just act like this never happened, okay?”

I worked so hard to grind that value up to 65, and you dock me 25 just for getting angry once!

The more Su Xi thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. He pouted and proactively stepped forward to hug the man, nuzzling against his chest in a show of weakness. He murmured, “Then I’ll be the proactive one.”

“You like me that much?” Duan Cheng’s voice rang out above his head, carrying a hint of undisguised laziness.

“I like you, I like you the most.” Su Xi’s voice was as sweet and enticing as if it were coated in frosting. He was never stingy about professing his love to Duan Cheng; in his eyes, this was one of the fastest ways to complete the mission.

“You went out alone with Li Huai aren’t you afraid of what he might do to you?” Duan Cheng’s eyes lowered. The coldness from earlier had vanished. He looked at the boy’s slender, fragile neck; it looked so empty, as if it needed some beautiful decoration.

Su Xi answered dismissively, “He wouldn’t. We’re just ordinary friends.”

“Mm.” In the end, Duan Cheng didn’t say anything more.

As the two of them headed out, they ran straight into Li Huai, who had come looking for Su Xi. Su Xi waved and wanted to step forward to greet him, but Duan Cheng held him tightly. He looked at Duan Cheng in surprise, only to see that the man’s expression toward Li Huai was far from pleasant, his eyes filled with hostility.

It makes sense. It’s normal for a villain to have beef with the protagonist; they just hate the sight of each other.

Su Xi told himself this and cautiously tugged on Duan Cheng’s sleeve, signaling him not to cause trouble and to leave quickly.

However, in Duan Cheng’s eyes, this gesture was Su Xi protecting Li Huai, fearing that he would bully the man.

“Xi, it took you half an hour just to go to the restroom.” Li Huai’s gaze settled on Duan Cheng, who was standing extremely close to Su Xi they were even holding hands. His amber eyes darkened slightly.

“I just happened to run into A-Cheng, so we talked for a bit…” Su Xi wasn’t good at lying. When he spoke, his gaze drifted everywhere, and his hands restlessly gripped the hem of his shirt.

“Come on, I’ll take you home.” Li Huai stepped forward, intending to take Su Xi’s other hand, but his hand met only empty air. Duan Cheng had pulled Su Xi back a few steps to avoid him.

“…” Seeing the tension between the two starting to spark, Su Xi hurriedly said to Li Huai, “Um, Li Huai, you should head back first. I’ll just go with A-Cheng.”

He didn’t know how Duan Cheng had managed to leave campus so easily, but once they were in the car heading home, the man simply held his hand in silence, not saying a word.

The Su family’s old estate was in the suburbs of the South District, too far from the school. So, Su Xi took the man to a vacant villa instead. The villa was equipped with advanced technology; the garden was filled with various expensive plants, and light purple flowers covered the walls. A cream-colored swing wrapped in vines swayed gently in the breeze.

After the identity recognition passed, the doors slid open automatically. Along with a crisp chime, the dark hall was suddenly flooded with light. The crystal chandelier emitted fragmented glimmers, and dark carpets were spread across the smooth floor, bringing a hint of coolness.

Su Xi let out a yawn. Having been out in the breeze, the muddled intoxication from the alcohol was making him feel dizzy. Without even changing his shoes, he walked to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of mineral water, and downed half of it. Only then did he look back at Duan Cheng, who had been standing still since entering.

“The guest rooms haven’t been cleaned. A-Cheng, come sleep with me.” He stepped forward to take the man’s arm, pulling him toward the stairs.

Even a vacant villa was kept clean and bright; obviously, people were regularly arranged to clean it. How could the guest rooms possibly be uncleaned? Duan Cheng saw through the boy’s thoughts but didn’t expose him, allowing himself to be pulled upstairs.

Su Xi was the first to enter the bathroom to wash up. As the steam rose and blurred his vision, he lay in the bathtub, enjoying the warm water. He narrowed his eyes and lathered himself in body wash until white bubbles floated on the surface of the water.

“Suddenly the Salvation Value dropped back to 40… Duan Cheng’s personality is really hard to grasp…” Su Xi’s voice was muffled and hazy under the sound of splashing water.

“Host, let’s just pull the favorability up to 90 first to stabilize it! Make him fall in love with you!” Since being bluffed by Su Xi last time, System 1368 had completely put its faith in his methods and spoke up to encourage him.

Behind the frosted glass door, the image was faint and shifting. Duan Cheng leaned against a leather sofa, eyes lowered in thought. His gaze swept over the room’s layout and design; there were no unnecessary decorations, marking it clearly as a place that wasn’t frequently inhabited.

Except for the painting of the deep blue sea hanging by the window, which seemed to have been moved often. A thought began to form in Duan Cheng’s mind. He walked over and reached out to lift the painting. What met his eyes were numerous photos taken from various angles: lush trees at noon, a quiet and leisurely cafe…

These photos had one thing in common: the protagonist of every shot was Fu Heng. Turning them over, there were even specific times, locations, and moods written on the back.

Of course, he knew how much Su Xi used to like Fu Heng. What seemed like a secret crush was actually a grand, school-wide fact. He, the fiancé, was the one intruding on someone else’s feelings.

A trace of obscurity flashed in Duan Cheng’s eyes. Hearing the water stop, he hung the painting back up. He reined in his emotions and looked up as Su Xi walked out, covered in steam, his fair face flushed from the heat.

Su Xi blinked, failing to notice anything unusual about Duan Cheng. He picked up a glass of water from the nightstand to quench his thirst. After finishing one glass, he still felt thirsty, so he went to the water dispenser and filled another half-glass. He murmured, “There are clothes in the wardrobe; take whatever you need.”

Opening the wooden wardrobe, a row of shirts and pants hung neatly. There were even undergarments that were clearly not Su Xi’s size. Duan Cheng’s eyes darkened slightly.

“They’re all new,” Su Xi coughed twice. Realizing something, he hurriedly explained in a panic, “A friend came over once and accidentally got their clothes dirty, but they didn’t have a change, so I had people prepare some and leave them here.”

He looked at Duan Cheng’s face, feeling guiltily that the more he explained, the worse it sounded. But the man shouldn’t think too much of it, right? Su Xi’s eyelashes trembled as he set the glass on the table. He let out a sigh of relief when he heard the sound of the shower starting behind him.

He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, the cool night breeze blowing against his face. Downstairs, the various hydrangeas and butterfly flowers were in full bloom, vibrant and lush like a beautiful landscape painting.

Su Xi wordlessly closed the window and pulled the curtains shut before sitting on the edge of the bed. Under the warm yellow light, he couldn’t resist the exhaustion and drifted into a heavy sleep.

Deep in the night, he dreamed again of being locked in a pitch-black room and being taken wantonly, hot breaths hitting the sensitive skin of his neck. He jerked awake, instinctively reaching for the spot beside him, but the bedding was cold.

Just as he was wondering where Duan Cheng had gone, he noticed the gray curtains fluttering by the balcony. He vaguely saw the figure outside. Duan Cheng was holding something. Su Xi tried to see it clearly, but it was too far and the object was too small; he could only make out a silhouette that looked like a silver cylinder.

What is that?

Su Xi threw off the covers and stood up, tiptoeing to the window to peek out. He finally saw the object in Duan Cheng’s hand. It wasn’t a silver pocket watch at all; it was clearly a tube of silver-blue reagent. He had seen it in reports it was something used to alter genes.

So, Duan Cheng was hiding a secret from everyone, something even the system didn’t know.

A chill ran up from the soles of his feet. He instinctively took two steps back to get away from the draft, but when he looked up, he crashed right into Duan Cheng’s pitch-black eyes.

What followed was a voice wrapped in a chill: “How much did you hear?”