Transmigrated as the Villain’s Cannon Fodder Ex-Husband - Chapter 3

In the backseat of the Maybach, Zhao Yisen stared out the window. He hadn’t yet recovered from the chaotic scenes earlier, but Wang Baobao’s incessant muttering was already buzzing in his ear.

“The Zhao family servants are far too careless, losing track of their own young master! And that second Master Zhao is truly something breaking up with you so long ago, yet still coming to sabotage your engagement party.”

Remembering his master’s messy romantic history, Wang Baobao, sitting in the front passenger seat, broke into a cold sweat. He pulled out a white handkerchief and began to wipe his brow. Fortunately, President Gu was on the Young Master’s side; he had not only had that Zhao fellow tied up but also completely blocked any news, preserving the Young Master’s lifelong reputation.

Though, Wang Baobao thought, even I feel a bit guilty saying those last four words.

Wang Baobao’s chatter was so fragmented that Zhao Yisen only caught about eighty percent of it; the rest was like molecules drifting in the air, vanishing in an instant. The rear space was spacious, the leather seats soft. Next to him sat his favorite iced Americano and a variety of nutritional supplements.

Feeling a slight tingle in his ears, Zhao Yisen casually grabbed a bottle of vitamins and swallowed one with a swig of the coffee a true “cyber-lifestyle” health move.

Seeing that his master remained silent, Wang Baobao shifted his tone, taking the opportunity to flatter him.

“Young Master, you were truly brilliant. Just seven words were enough to resolve the crisis. That Master Zhao’s face turned as green as a leaf, and President Gu’s expression was like a melting iceberg.”

In the past, the original Yi Sen would have coldly told him to shut up. But Zhao Yisen was a youth of the new era, raised with proper social etiquette; he didn’t have the habit of interrupting others.

Wang Baobao babbled all the way until his throat went dry. He grabbed a bottle of Perrier that Yi Sen had opened a few days ago, took a huge gulp, and happened to catch sight of his master’s face in the rearview mirror.

Zhao Yisen’s face was only the size of a palm, his skin white and thin. When he lowered his head in thought, he looked as exquisite as a doll. Staring for too long occasionally made one’s skin tingle, prompting the question: Can such a beautiful person truly exist in the world?

Wang Baobao marveled in silence, thinking his master was truly the darling of the heavens. He was just thinking this when he saw Zhao Yisen lean forward, gripping the back of the passenger seat and popping his head out like a meerkat.

“Butler, I have a question.”

Wang Baobao was so stunned by this humble, polite address that his ears went numb. A certain detail, buried deep in his heart and almost forgotten, slowly surfaced.

“Y-yes, Young Master?”

Zhao Yisen’s hair was slightly messy, and his light purple eyes were filled with confusion. “What… was your name again?”

The red light at the intersection flashed suddenly. The Maybach slammed on its brakes before the crosswalk. Wang Baobao’s rear remained in the seat, but his head slammed into the headrest, leaving him seeing stars.

“Driver! Turn around immediately! To the Central Hospital in the south!”

The Hospital Caper

Spending a fortune to hire the city’s best neurologists, Zhao Yisen was eventually pushed into a luxury ward, his head wrapped in so many bandages he looked like a cross-hatched mummy. By the bedside, Wang Baobao’s expression was so tragic one might think Zhao Yisen had been dead for a week.

Old Wang’s heart was heavy. His young master had been eccentric and distant from his family since childhood. His mother had been the first wife of Elder Master Yi but died of illness. The elder Master Yi immediately remarried and had two more children. At that time, the Young Master had a massive falling out with his father, nearly severing ties, and his personality changed drastically.

Wang Baobao had started by serving Yi Sen’s mother; after her death, he became the household manager. When Yi Sen returned from abroad, he became his personal butler. Because of the mother’s death, he always felt a sliver of guilt toward Yi Sen.

“…”

Zhao Yisen lay on the bed, struggling to move his neck, feeling that this was all truly unnecessary.

The experts spent ages studying his brain CT, only to reach a consensus: no pathological damage was found. As for his memory, there was no choice but to wait for it to recover slowly.

Sitting on a four-legged stool, Wang Baobao’s voice trembled. “This, what are we to do? Your engagement party with President Gu isn’t even finished.”

Seeing Wang Baobao like this, a mental question mark floated over Zhao Yisen’s head. This butler looked as if his sole mission in life was to marry him off, as if he were a hot potato.

While Zhao Yisen was initially ten-out-of-ten satisfied with his fiancé, after being wrapped like a mummy, he carefully recalled Gu Jia’s performance at the party. Something felt off.

Furthermore, didn’t he transmigrate into a book? As a veteran reader, Zhao Yisen raised a soul-searching question: Where is my main mission? Where is the system? And where are my golden fingers?

Logic finally overcame his lust, and Zhao Yisen decided to wait and see. By the bed, Wang Baobao was still fretting over the marriage.

“This wedding… this wedding…”

“Cough, cough. Old Wang.”

Wang Baobao looked up to see his master pulling out two brain-boosting walnuts from somewhere and thoughtfully stuffing them into the butler’s hand.

“How about… we just don’t get married for now?”

Wang Baobao: “…Huh???”

The Doctor’s Diagnosis

In the neurology consultation room, Dr. Jiang Wen the youngest attending physician at Central Hospital and a post-doc who had recently returned from America leaned against the doorframe, sighing at the scans.

Jiang Wen was Gu Jia’s best friend in the original novel. They had known each other since childhood and shared similar personalities, yet their paths were polar opposites. One followed his parents’ wishes to become a doctor and a top professor; the other severed ties with his family to venture into business alone, successfully landing on the global billionaire list within three years.

“I’ve looked at them. No pathological damage, but the memory has definitely been affected.” Jiang Wen set the scans down, tucked his phone between his shoulder and ear, and lowered his voice. “Also, I heard about what happened at the engagement party.”

“…”

Jiang Wen advised helplessly, “He is the Master of the Yi family, after all. Over the last few years, even though you’ve gained massive momentum, those ‘Old Money’ families have banded together to oppose you. After the Zhao Jiahao incident, you didn’t make a move at the party. Everyone thinks you’re just enjoying the show at the expense of the Yi family and the other elites…”

Gu Jia: “I know.”

Jiang Wen felt stifled. He thought to himself that he was far too meddlesome he had the life of a doctor but the worries of a CEO’s best friend. He offered a few more instructions and hung up. He walked out of the room to start his rounds, only to see a familiar figure at the end of the hall.

The “Visit”

Zhao Yisen lay flat on his back. The hospital bed was spacious and comfortable far better than his dormitory. After failing to persuade him about the marriage, Old Wang had been sent out to buy fruit.

Zhao was happily eating a small tangerine when a conversation drifted from the door. The door creaked open slightly, and a tall, upright figure appeared. The man was in a white lab coat with a hint of stubble on his chin; though he looked a bit unkempt, he was clearly a handsome youth.

Zhao Yisen recognized him immediately this was Dr. Jiang, who had just checked his head. Dr. Jiang was speaking to someone, his expression a mix of frustration and resignation the exact look of a “CEO’s best friend” who had failed to convince the CEO and was about to vomit blood.

As the analogy flashed through his mind, Dr. Jiang turned slightly, and the door was suddenly pushed open by a well-defined hand.

The ink-black suit Gu Jia had worn at the party was full of pressure, but the deep blue shirt he had changed into softened the effect. He had a high nose bridge and wore silver-framed glasses. His suit jacket was unbuttoned, revealing a lean, sturdy waist.

This scene was so handsome that Zhao Yisen’s tongue tied into a knot. “Gu… President Gu?”

Gu Jia’s gaze swept over him. “I thought you just choked on some wine. Why are you wrapped up like a mummy?”

Zhao Yisen: “…”

Exactly! Finally, someone who thinks like me!

Zhao Yisen struggled to lift his left hand, intending to call the nurse to unwrap him, not noticing that Gu Jia had already walked to his side. Gu Jia stared down at the person on the bed.

The loose blue hospital gown draped over Zhao Yisen’s shoulders made him look even thinner and more fragile. His face was slightly flushed, looking like a seedling after a storm or a beautiful, lethal wild mushroom. He possessed a beauty that was fragile to the extreme.

He was busy trying to reach for the call button. In the past, the “original” Yi Sen wouldn’t have even bothered to lift an eyelid for such a thing.

Looking at it this way, it seems my ex-husband isn’t entirely faking it.

Zhao Yisen felt like his arm was about to snap. Just as his fingertip was about to hit the button, his wrist was gently pressed down. He looked up in confusion, his eyes purely clear and harmless.

Gu Jia met his gaze. After a long silence, he spoke slowly: “I came this time to discuss the matter of our marriage.”

Marriage? Zhao Yisen’s eyes widened: That’s right, I don’t want to get married so soon!

Gu Jia’s tone was slow. “Your body hasn’t recovered yet, and the doctor says you need to be observed for a few months. Re-organizing the engagement party also takes time, so I was thinking”

Hearing this, Zhao Yisen was delighted. It was exactly what he wanted! He jumped in happily: “I also think there’s no rush”

“So, we should just register for the license tomorrow.”

Their voices fell simultaneously. The ward went silent for a moment. Zhao Yisen craned his neck, meeting Gu Jia’s gaze.

The veins on Gu Jia’s hand were faintly visible as he rested his wrist on the edge of the bed. “…Yi Sen, what did you just say?”

Zhao Yisen’s lips trembled. He actually wanted to ask: Handsome, what on earth are you talking about?!

Because it would take too long to re-do the party, you want to just skip to the marriage? That makes no sense!

Wrapped like a mummy, Zhao Yisen felt a bit dizzy and started rambling. “Uh, President Gu, aren’t you worried my brain was damaged from the choking? I think it’s better to observe for a while.”

Gu Jia suddenly leaned over the bed rail, his dark gold eyes meeting Zhao Yisen’s. Then, a warm, powerful hand clamped onto his white neck, his rough thumb pressing against Zhao’s chin.

“Ugh…”

Gu Jia’s voice was very soft, landing silently on the floor of the room. “From the beginning until now, all your schemes have ended in failure. Are you willing to let it go?”

The room was on the top floor. Usually, the corridor was empty, with only occasional staff during rounds. Outside the door, Gu Jia’s two bodyguards stood watch; Wang Baobao, returning with his oranges, was blocked at the entrance and was sitting anxiously on a bench.

Gu Jia’s gaze grew heavier, almost becoming a physical substance.

“…What?”

Zhao Yisen had been choked unexpectedly. Although the other hadn’t applied much force, the feeling of his airway being squeezed was uncomfortable. Wrapped in bandages, his ears were buzzing, and he couldn’t hear clearly.

Feeling the pulse throb beneath his hand, Gu Jia studied Zhao Yisen’s expression for a long time. After one final scan from head to toe, he finally released his grip.

“…Nothing.”

Two faint red marks remained on the youth’s white neck. Gu Jia reached out and pressed the call button for Zhao Yisen, then stood and straightened his tie as if nothing had happened.

“Don’t worry, I don’t care about what happened at the party.” He paused before continuing, “Perhaps registering tomorrow is a bit too hasty. How about this: I’ll have my people re-organize the engagement party as quickly as possible.”

Zhao Yisen’s reaction was half a beat slow; he didn’t have time to speak, only watching blankly as Gu Jia turned to leave.

“Rest well. I’ll come to see you next time.” Pushing the door open, Gu Jia’s gaze swept past “Bitter Melon” Wang Baobao. He led his bodyguards toward the end of the hall without looking back.

Passing the nurse’s station, a conspicuous bouquet of blue baby’s breath caught his eye. Gu Jia was already at the elevator, but he seemed to remember something. He stopped, turned back, and walked over.

He smiled and asked the small nurse on duty, “Hello. Is this for Yi Sen in Room 602?”

The head nurse wasn’t there, and the young nurse having never seen such a handsome man—was dazed by Gu Jia’s smile and nodded subconsciously. Gu Jia thanked her, picked up the bouquet, and, ignoring her protests, applied a bit of force with his fingertips to tear off the small card tucked inside.

“…”

There was no signature. The card contained only eight simple words:

Welcome back. Let’s meet at the old place.