Transmigrated as the Villain’s Cannon Fodder Ex-Husband - Chapter 10

It was just like when you manage to guess the right answer to a multiple-choice question in class, only for the teacher to suddenly ask you to explain why you chose that option.

Suffocating. It was simply too suffocating.

Zhao Yisen’s brain whirled for a long time. Before Gu Jia’s gaze could turn completely frigid, he finally remembered that he had come to apologize.

Unfortunately, before the words could leave his mouth, a sudden, scorching heat flared up in his stomach.

Zhao Yisen’s legs went weak. He instinctively braced his hands against the desk and looked up dizzily. In the next moment, the Gu Jia before him had somehow split into three.

Gu Jia quietly appreciated the entire process of his ex-husband’s face flushing red, then slumping helplessly onto the desk, eventually becoming unable to even speak.

He glanced down at the white medicine bottle in his hand, then looked back at Zhao Yisen. A flicker of morbid excitement stirred in his heart he felt like a death row inmate who, after a long wait, finally sought only the end.

After death, there would be rebirth.

Assistant Jiang, waiting outside, was startled by the sound of Zhao Yisen hitting the desk and instinctively pushed the door open.

“President Gu, is everything alright…”

Meeting Gu Jia’s gaze, he instantly fell silent. Before Gu Jia could even speak, he consciously backed out like a car in reverse.

The door closed with a soft click.

After a long while, Gu Jia stood up from behind the desk and stared at the Zhao Yisen propped up against it.

Zhao Yisen felt as though his internal organs were being roasted over a fire. His ears buzzed for a few heartbeats. Then, a powerful force gripped his shoulders and hauled him into a chair.

Gu Jia knelt down, staring directly into the light purple eyes of his “deceased” ex-husband.

Perhaps because Gu Jia’s features were somewhat mixed-race, under the influence of the drug, Zhao Yisen felt the man’s face was shifting back and forth between a 3D reality and a 2D drawing. His eyes were filled with pure confusion.

“Did you… study Sichuan Opera face-changing?”

Fortunately, his voice was faint, and Gu Jia didn’t catch it. “…What?”

Zhao Yisen blinked and fell silent again.

The drug had taken effect. Gu Jia didn’t want to get bogged down in trivialities and brought the conversation back to the main point, his voice cold. “Tell me. Why did you really come to find me today?”

Zhao Yisen blinked and answered smoothly, “To apologize to you.”

The air in the study instantly stagnated.

As expected.

After a long silence, Gu Jia let out a soft chuckle. His laughter was crisp, yet it sent a chill down one’s spine.

“Apologize for what?”

“…”

Zhao Yisen fell silent again. He was like a crashed computer, a loading icon spinning endlessly in his mind.

After waiting for a long time without a follow-up, the suppressed emotions in Gu Jia’s heart finally exploded. He stood up, grabbed another confidential document from the desk, and slammed it into Zhao Yisen’s lap. “If it wasn’t for Lu Ming, are you apologizing for this?!”

Everything was there the trade secrets spanning ten years that had led to the total collapse of the Gu Group in his previous life.

The fresh A4 paper, carrying a crisp, cold scent, hit Zhao Yisen’s lap and left him a bit dazed.

The temperature in his brain gradually began to drop. This drunken sensation came and went quickly; perhaps due to the original owner’s legendary high alcohol tolerance, the drug’s effect wasn’t as lasting as expected.

He instinctively picked up the file and flipped through it. Even though it was clearly black ink on white paper, he couldn’t understand a single word.

Seeing Zhao Yisen’s sluggish state, Gu Jia felt this would go on forever. He took a deep breath, leaned over, and grabbed the youth’s collar, forcing him back to the first question: “Answer me. What are you apologizing for?”

Was it for betraying him with Lu Ming? Was it for coming to steal or even leak the Gu Group’s secrets? Or was it something even more malicious that he didn’t know about?

Moonlight shone through the window. Yi Sen looked even younger than in his memory, which only made Gu Jia feel more absurd.

This person, who had destroyed everything he had in his previous life without a shred of regret, was actually saying he wanted to apologize.

Even more absurd was that Gu Jia actually wanted to hear it.

Meeting Gu Jia’s dark gold eyes, Zhao Yisen blankly clutched the papers in his lap. After a moment of hesitation, he tentatively voiced his “crime.”

“I… I shouldn’t have gone missing for three days to play video games?”

Gu Jia: “…” Heh.

He managed to squeeze three words from his throat: “And what else?”

…There’s more?

Zhao Yisen felt like a crane repeatedly dipping its leg into the water at the beach, racking his brain to test the boundaries of the correct answer. “I shouldn’t, shouldn’t, shouldn’t…”

Gu Jia’s knuckles holding his collar gradually turned white. Zhao Yisen’s neck was slightly constricted, causing him to instinctively look down. He suddenly spotted the names “The Qian Family” and “The Bai Family” on the document.

These were the “Old Money” families who were on good terms with the Yi family.

His mind whirled. He suddenly realized that it was precisely because these people were backing Lu Real Estate and manipulating public opinion to threaten the Gu Group.

That was why Gu Jia was so angry. In the eyes of a furious Big Boss, everything he did would be considered wrong.

Zhao Yisen had once learned in a politics class that you can only solve fundamental problems by grasping the main issue and letting go of the minor ones.

A thought flashed through his mind. Zhao Yisen’s lips moved: “Hostage.”

He stared intently at his fiancé. “Take me as a hostage and lock me up! Those Old Money families backing Lu Real Estate definitely wouldn’t dare act recklessly then!”

If the company’s problems were solved, Gu Jia’s mood would improve, and he naturally wouldn’t care about the gaming incident anymore.

The drunken feeling vanished completely. Zhao Yisen felt his mind clear and his body refreshed.

Gu Jia turned his gaze toward the white medicine bottle on the desk.

…Jiang Wen’s useless medicine. It didn’t work at all.

He looked Zhao Yisen up and down, released his collar, and spoke a few icy words: “What do you think you’re doing here right now?”

Jiang Mingze stood outside the study with a tray. After waiting for over half an hour, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from the room.

The next moment, the door was thrown open.

Young Master Yi was screaming something heart-wrenching. Gu Jia walked out of the study, his voice like ice: “He is not allowed to take a single step outside without my command.”

The accompanying bodyguards and servants fell into a dead silence. Jiang Mingze gasped and immediately lowered his head in obedience.

…What happened?

Accompanied by faint sobbing, Gu Jia looked back at Zhao Yisen in the study. The youth’s eyes were rimmed with red, his brow slightly furrowed, and his light purple eyes brimmed with tears. He looked piteously beautiful.

“…”

In their previous life, Yi Sen had never shed a tear in front of Gu Jia. He smiled when happy, sneered when angry, and mocked when sad like a doll with a painted-on grin.

Gu Jia clenched his fists.

In this life, he’s even better at acting.

The man turned away, coldly tossing out a final order: “Take him back to the master bedroom. No food.”

The “sobbing” Zhao Yisen: ?

Wait, no, the ‘pity play’ was supposed to be an extra charge

Unlike his previous secret orders, this time Gu Jia was practically broadcasting his attitude to all the servants of the house.

Seeing Yi Sen locked in the master bedroom, Jiang Mingze was startled. He immediately realized President Gu intended to use Young Master Yi as a “hostage,” determined to fight those Old Money families to the bitter end.

Having reached the spiral staircase, Gu Jia’s gaze crossed the corridor and landed on the assistant still dazing at the bedroom door or perhaps, he was looking even further away.

“Mingze.”

“President Gu.”

Jiang Mingze snapped back to attention, gathered the documents from the study, and left the mansion with Gu Jia.

The driver hadn’t come along, so Jiang Mingze sat in the driver’s seat of the black Rolls-Royce, feeling a belated sense of self-reproach.

Should I have not let Young Master Yi in just now?

“…”

Jiang Mingze stole a glance at the rearview mirror.

After the ordeal with Zhao Yisen until 2:00 AM, Gu Jia leaned against the seat with lowered eyes, his voice sounding exhausted. “Let’s get something to eat, then head to the Central Hospital in South City.”

Sensing a slight opening for a change in atmosphere, Assistant Jiang’s heart stirred, and he quickly agreed.

The suburban highway was deserted. In the pure darkness, the rear window reflected Gu Jia’s face like a mirror. His mixed-race features, combined with his expressionless face, carried a suffocating pressure.

The only speck of light outside was the small mansion on the hill. Gu Jia stared at it for a long time, and only when the light had completely vanished from sight did he slowly close his eyes.

The next morning.

Lying on the massive bed in the master bedroom, Zhao Yisen moved his arm, which was a bit sore from being dragged by the bodyguards, and struggled to get up.

The day was already bright outside. He wobbled to the window and took a deep breath, admiring the beautiful scenery.

Actually, this wasn’t bad. Ever since he transmigrated into the book, troubles had followed one after another. Now, he finally had time to rest properly.

Then, his stomach let out a poorly-timed growl.

He was a bit hungry.

Gu Jia wouldn’t actually starve him, right?

With that thought, Zhao Yisen crept to the door and peeked through the crack. Once certain no one was around, he gently turned the handle.

The handle turned with a crisp click. It wasn’t locked.

Zhao Yisen’s heart skipped a beat. He knew the man was just trying to scare him.

A trace of smugness appeared on his face. He bent down, intending to sneak to the kitchen to grab some food, when a massive, dark shadow fell over him.

“…”

Looking up, he saw a bodyguard with a familiar, square-jawed face and an athletic build. The man was wearing a black tank top and staring at him expressionlessly.

“Young Master Yi, please go back inside.”

Slam!

A minute later, Zhao Yisen sat with his back against the bedroom door, tears streaming down his face like thick noodles.

Zhao Yisen did not give up; he fought on despite repeated defeats.

His skills at playing for pity were top-tier, but the guard captain was even better. Seeing Yi Sen’s furrowed brow, the captain immediately pulled a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and put them on. “Out of sight, out of mind,” he thought as he tossed the youth back into the bedroom. Finally, annoyed by the persistence, he shoved two bottles of mineral water into Yisen’s arms.

After all, President Gu had said to starve him, not to dehydrate him.

Zhao Yisen held a bottle of Nongfu Spring in his left hand and a bottle of Ganten in his right.

He looked up at the ceiling.

It seems I’ve really dug a hole for myself.