Transmigrated as the Villain’s Cannon Fodder Ex-Husband - Chapter 8

A deathly silence fell over the interior and exterior of the car.

The driver’s foot hovered over the accelerator , his entire body frozen in place.

“…Heh.”

The corners of Gu Jia’s mouth curled into a chilling, mock-smile. His grip on Zhao Yisen’s chin tightened, only to release its force just before it became truly painful.

Giving Zhao Yisen a frigid look, the man raised his hand and slapped the tape back over Yisen’s mouth, pressing down heavily with his thumb for good measure.

As his lips were suddenly touched, Zhao Yisen instinctively pursed them.

The youth’s lips were incredibly soft. Gu Jia felt as though he had been “kissed” by a goldfish. He looked with startled fury at the half of Zhao Yisen’s face that remained visible; even with only the bridge of his nose showing, he was still undeniably beautiful.

Hmm? Zhao Yisen, acting like a pigeon that had lost its sense of direction, craned his neck and peered around from the backseat, as if trying to sense Gu Jia’s exact location through the blindfold.

“…”

The dark aura surrounding Gu Jia practically solidified.

A moment later, he raised his hand. The driver, as if receiving a divine pardon, slammed his foot on the gas.

The black Audi carried Zhao Yisen toward a deserted highway toward his ultimate fate as a caged canary.

After standing in place for a moment, the black aura around Gu Jia gradually dissipated. He expressionlessly took out his phone and called his old friend, Jiang Wen.

Dr. Jiang had just finished his rounds and was in his office reading a thesis.

Before he could finish the paper, his phone suddenly rang. A sense of foreboding rose in his heart. Upon answering, he heard his friend’s voice.

Gu Jia’s voice was ice-cold and blunt: “Jiang Wen, do you have any drugs that make someone tell the truth once they take them? I don’t mind if it makes them so miserable they have to speak the truth.”

Jiang Wen: “…???”

He gasped, feeling for the first time that the hospital air was dangerously thin. He wasn’t unaware of Gu Jia’s ruthless methods, but this was the first time he had seen him pushed to the point of wanting to use literal torture.

The veins on Jiang Wen’s forehead throbbed. He wanted to tell Gu Jia to calm down, but then he realized that if Gu Jia couldn’t get what he wanted here, he would definitely find someone else.

After a long silence, Jiang Wen sighed in defeat. “…Wait for it. I’ll send you information on a few drugs that can cause short-term hallucinations.”

After hanging up, Gu Jia sent another message to Assistant Jiang, ordering him to compile all plans related to “driving the Lu Group into bankruptcy” and deliver them within three days.

Having finished everything on his agenda, Gu Jia stood alone for a while to catch the breeze. The weight on his heart had not lightened; instead, it grew heavier.

Against the backdrop of the deep blue sky, the hotel lights flickered. Across the European-style fence, several hotel staff members were dismantling the flower-adorned arch on the lawn. The red carpet and benches had been cleared away, leaving only messy ribbons scattered across the grass.

Gu Jia stared at the wreckage of the engagement banquet.

He didn’t know if Yi Sen was truly playing the fool. But even if Yi Sen really had amnesia, would his fundamental nature change?

Lu Ming was already entangled with him again. They would still betray him. Therefore, he had to cast these two into a bottomless hell from which they could never return.

But before that—

Gu Jia looked down. His eyelashes were very long; when he looked down, their silhouette cast a small shadow at the corner of his eyes. He raised the thumb that had just been “kissed” by Zhao Yisen and decided to “cure” his ex-husband’s madness first.

Gu Jia had already issued orders to the bodyguards on standby at the remote villa: Yi Sen was not to be allowed a single step outside for three days.

His ex-husband hated being confined to a room most of all. If he were also barred from the numbing comfort of alcohol, it would be a fate worse than death.

As the evening wind blew, Gu Jia knelt and picked up a piece of ribbon that had drifted over from the fence.

Once Yi Sen became irritable, manic, and mentally broken, Gu Jia would have him ingest the hallucinogens. He believed that under such pressure, no one could continue a facade.

A sinister curve lifted the corners of his mouth.

Five minutes later, a black Rolls-Royce pulled out of the hotel parking lot and came to a steady stop before him. Opening the car door, Gu Jia sat in the back.

His phone chimed. He glanced down to confirm the drug names Jiang Wen had sent.

“Drive. To the Yuanjiang Pharmaceutical Plant.”

After being mysteriously kidnapped and tossed into a car, the kind of “play” Zhao Yisen had been secretly anticipating did not happen.

The car took him a long distance. After an unknown amount of time, the door finally opened, and the scent of cold, damp earth wafted through the air.

As he was led indoors, Zhao Yisen vaguely felt that the floor beneath his feet was of high quality. When the blindfold was suddenly ripped away, he blinked in confusion, finding himself in a small European-style mansion.

The two dark-faced bodyguards who untied him didn’t say a word, walking back to the door like silent temple guardians.

Zhao Yisen: ?

Looking around, the mansion was luxuriously decorated. The main hall featured a fireplace, plush carpets, and magnificent crystal chandeliers.

Wandering up the spiral staircase to the second floor, he found several rooms with different decor: a master bedroom, a guest room, a kitchen, a study, and one locked, mysterious door perhaps a storage room.

Zhao Yisen was a bit dazed; he had never been here before. After a moment of contemplation, a theory began to form in his mind.

Could this be the new house Gu Jia prepared for us?

With this thought, he toured the space. The master bedroom looked like a duke’s quarters in a medieval castle, with a spacious balcony overlooking the rolling mountains. The kitchen was fully stocked with instant food and soda. The study, best of all, was equipped with the latest gaming consoles and a massive projector screen.

The homebody Zhao Yisen closed his eyes, feeling as if he were bathed in holy light.

—This wasn’t a new house; it was Heaven!

Though he didn’t know why Gu Jia was being so secretive, he decided to make himself at home. Moving from the kitchen to the study, Zhao Yisen packed three days’ worth of supplies, determined to engage in a hearty battle with some “Bosses.”

The original owner hadn’t liked games, so there had been no trace of electronics in the previous villa.

Setting his things down, Zhao Yisen turned on the console, picked a Soulslike game that looked the simplest, and flashed a “Nike-swoosh” smirk.

But soon, he couldn’t laugh anymore.

The berserker that usually steamrolled through bosses felt as if it had been possessed; his hands were faster than his brain, and he couldn’t hit anything he aimed at.

A simple gatekeeper boss in the starter village? He died 28 times. Two stone golems on the road out of the village? He died 61 times.

The original owner’s instantaneous reflexes and dynamic vision were abysmal. Zhao Yisen had the tactics but not the hand speed. He played until his eyes were bloodshot, played until tears streamed down his face, and played until he reached a mental breakdown only to reach 50% game completion.

Refusing to lose, Zhao Yisen lowered his head to slurp some instant noodles. With red eyes, he decided he would fight these bosses to the bitter end.

Two whole days passed, and Zhao Yisen barely left the study.

The bodyguards monitoring the door began to feel uneasy. After all, President Gu had said to lock him up, not to let him starve to death!

After hesitating for a long time, the captain of the guards dialed Gu Jia’s number: “President Gu, Young Master Yi hasn’t left the study in two days. Should we go up and check on him…”

Setting aside the plan to ruin the Lu Group, Gu Jia rose from his chair. He didn’t believe Yi Sen had the courage to seek death; otherwise, he wouldn’t have endured so much torture in their previous life.

Another one of his tricks.

“Ignore him. Keep watching,” Gu Jia’s voice was cold. After a pause, he added: “Call me only if he’s actually about to die.”

Hanging up, he sat back down and slowly opened his desk drawer, pulling out several white medicine bottles from the corner. These were new drugs produced by Yuanjiang Pharmaceutical controlled by Jiang Wen’s family intended for mental illness, with the side effect of causing temporary hallucinations.

Gu Jia placed one bottle gently on the desk. He was ready to face the bloody truth behind the lies.

On the third night, Zhao Yisen finally beat the game. Sporting massive dark circles under his eyes, he wobbled out of the study.

The guard captain at the hall entrance first let out a sigh of relief, then was terrified by Zhao Yisen’s ghostly pallor. He immediately called Gu Jia.

“P-President Gu! Young Master Yi’s condition is terrible! He looks… he looks like he’s not going to make it!!!”

The captain’s voice shook like a leaf.

In reality, if anyone tried to pull three consecutive all-nighters for gaming, their mental state would likely match Zhao Yisen’s.

After clearing the game, Zhao Yisen felt utterly drained. The original owner’s physical constitution was even worse than he imagined. Three days of all-nighters used to be a breeze for him, but now it felt like it was claiming his old life.

He tottered out of the study, his left foot tripping over his right. He stumbled several times before finally crawling onto the massive bed in the master bedroom.

The down sheets beneath him were soft and comfortable. Zhao Yisen felt pain in every inch of his body. The moment he closed his eyes, he fell into a deep sleep.

He didn’t know how long he slept. His consciousness drifted in a deep sea, caught in a bizarre dream.

In the dream, Zhao Yisen stood on a beach. A few Soulslike monsters rushed at him, and he took them down with a few swings before crouching in a bush in a MOBA-style canyon.

Dozens of game screens flashed through his mind, finally settling on a camouflaged off-road vehicle. Zhao Yisen sat in the passenger seat, escaping the final “poison circle” of a battle royale.

The vehicle roared. He felt his heart was about to leap out of his chest. Just as he was about to tell his teammate to slow down, he turned and realized the driver was Gu Jia.

Gu Jia’s camouflage gear was slim-fit and looked incredibly elite. His hair was windswept. Seeing that Zhao Yisen had noticed him, he suddenly spoke: “I didn’t expect that right after our engagement, you’d forget me so completely—”

He turned, flashing a wickedly charming smile at Zhao Yisen.

“Are games really that fun?”

Zhao Yisen felt a cold breeze sweep across the back of his neck. His eyes flew open, and his throat felt as if it were being squeezed, leaving him speechless.

The next moment, Gu Jia’s voice turned icy: “Not a word for three whole days. Do you have any idea how worried I was?”

Then, without listening to Zhao Yisen’s explanation, he gave a cold laugh and slammed his foot on the accelerator like a man with a death wish.

Vroom—

The vehicle soared over a hill, rushed through a field, leapt high off a cliff, and crashed into the sea.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

Zhao Yisen’s entire body jolted. His heart hammered so hard it felt like it would burst from his chest.

He snapped his eyes open, coming face-to-face with Gu Jia’s dark gold eyes.

Gu Jia had never served anyone before. Seeing that the man was awake, he set down the glass in his hand, pulled out a tissue, and coldly wiped his slender, well-defined fingers.

“…You’re awake?”

Zhao Yisen lay on the bed, his face pale. His vision gradually cleared, though his brain was still foggy. He reached out and grabbed Gu Jia’s wrist.

“I was wrong, I was wrong, I was really wrong…”

Gu Jia’s movements froze.

He crumpled the tissue in his hand, gripping it tight, and smiled. It seemed he wouldn’t even need Jiang Wen’s drugs; Yi Sen was already planning to confess everything.

How he had faked his amnesia, or how, even if he had lost his memory, he still chose to get involved with Lu Ming.

Despite his premonitions, Gu Jia couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of disappointment.

With water still glistening on his lips, Zhao Yisen’s speech was like it was on double-speed: “I shouldn’t have gone three days without contacting you just to play games! But I definitely don’t ‘not like you’ anymore! Please, whatever you do, don’t do anything stupid—”

Gu Jia: “…”