“Why are you leaving? I didn’t offer you such a high salary for nothing.” Shen Yuqing didn’t follow this time, just stood there and called out to Song Wangzhuo’s retreating figure. “Or do you think your skills are only worth that much, and tutoring is just a way to fool people?”
Song Wangzhuo stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at Shen Yuqing again.
Shen Yuqing was dressed simply in a white T-shirt and light-colored casual pants. Because of the heat, strands of hair clung to his forehead. His bright eyes were fixed on Song Wangzhuo, devoid of the previous disdain.
“Being my tutor is a great deal,” Shen Yuqing said. “You don’t have to answer me right now. I can give you some time to think it over. Once you’ve made up your mind, just send me a message.”
He pulled out his phone from his pocket, opened his contact information, and turned the screen toward Song Wangzhuo. There was no urgency in his actions; instead, he wore a faint smile, as if certain that Song Wangzhuo would add him.
Song Wangzhuo’s gaze lingered on the phone screen. After what seemed like an eternity of hesitation, he finally took out his own phone, stepped forward, and scanned the contact details.
Shen Yuqing quickly received the friend request. After accepting it, he said, “I’ll wait for your reply. See you.”
This time, he didn’t try to stop Song Wangzhuo from leaving.
Song Wangzhuo gave a quiet hum in response, put his phone away, and turned to leave.
Shen Yuqing watched until Song Wangzhuo had left the neighborhood before letting out a long sigh.
The system, unable to hold back any longer, asked, [Host, what are you trying to do now?]
Shen Yuqing replied, [Tutoring. Is it that hard to understand?]
Tutoring wasn’t hard to understand but the tutor he’d invited was Song Wangzhuo! The male lead!
The system couldn’t wrap its head around it.
Only after Song Wangzhuo’s figure had completely disappeared from sight did Shen Yuqing turn and start walking back. [I need to build a good relationship with him.]
The system fell silent for a moment. [Host, our character setting is supposed to be a villain.]
[Can’t a villain be friends with the protagonist?] Shen Yuqing shot back. [You’ve seen too little. Real villains deal the fatal blow at the very end—they don’t act as obviously as I do, jumping around like some ridiculous clown.]
The system made a crying emoji. [But if we do this, everything will be thrown into chaos.]
[How so?] Shen Yuqing patiently explained the reasoning.
[First of all, we need to get close to the male leads to complete our missions. Right now, it’s fine when he’s at the bar I can go there openly as a customer. But it’s obvious he doesn’t want to keep doing that. If he starts tutoring someone else and rushes off to part-time jobs right after, how am I supposed to follow him into other people’s homes?]
The system’s indicator light flickered twice. That… actually made some sense.
Shen Yuqing continued, [He needs a job to survive, and I happen to need a tutor. Sure, finding one isn’t difficult for me right now, but if I hire someone else, Song Wangzhuo’s future plotline will become a mess. There might even be moments where we can’t keep up. If something happens, we won’t be able to resolve it immediately. Think about it wouldn’t it be all too easy for the male lead’s corruption value to skyrocket then?]
“His current corruption level is at 60, soon to drop below the danger threshold. Given this, why can’t we take the initiative?” Shen Yuqing stepped into the elevator. “Besides, do you really think our ‘vicious villain’ persona still holds up?”
It certainly didn’t.
Just look at how Shen Yuqing had disrupted every major plot point.
“There’s an ancient saying from my past life, you can’t have both the bear’s paw and the fish. Since I’m tasked with reducing corruption levels, maintaining the vicious villain persona becomes nearly impossible.”
The mission and the persona were fundamentally at odds.
The system was thoroughly convinced. Shen Yuqing made a valid point.
Moreover, perhaps because the male leads’ corruption levels had decreased, the system found its energy reserves filling faster than ever before.
After being in this world for so long, it was the first time the system felt like it might soon be “full.”
The system asked, [“Do you think he’ll agree?”]
“Ding—” The elevator doors opened.
Shen Yuqing walked out, replying, [“Not sure. We’ll just have to play it by ear.”]
Yet, inexplicably, he felt confident that Song Wangzhuo would agree.
When he returned home, the system logged off to continue its dormant state.
After changing his shoes, Shen Yuqing saw Lucky wagging its tail and darting toward him, circling his feet before standing up on its hind legs, trying to climb his leg.
With his injuries still fresh, Shen Yuqing couldn’t let it climb up, so he bent down and picked it up instead. He gave it a light bounce and clicked his tongue. “You little thing, you’ve actually gained weight after two days away.”
Lucky responded with a soft, purring sound, nuzzling against him as if pretending not to understand the comment about its weight.
Shen Yuqing checked its wounds—they had fully healed, though the fur hadn’t grown back yet, leaving it looking rather odd.
He scratched under its chin and remarked, “You little ugly cat.”
Carrying the cat into the living room, Shen Yuqing noticed Pei Yiyan’s unusual absence. Xiao Zhao was still in the kitchen preparing lunch. As he walked further in, he heard voices coming from the study.
The study door was slightly ajar, allowing him a clear view inside.
Pei Yiyan was attending a cultural lesson, with Wu Yi standing by to assist if needed.
The instructor seemed unfamiliar to Shen Yuqing, but he paid it no mind, it wasn’t his concern. After a brief glance, he returned to the living room with Lucky in his arms.
He still needed to apply ointment to speed up his recovery.
Setting Lucky aside, Shen Yuqing applied the ointment to his knees and arms. Soon after, the three from the study emerged.
Pei Yiyan led the way, followed closely by Wu Yi, with the instructor trailing behind.
Shen Yuqing glanced up disinterestedly before returning to his task.
Pei Yiyan took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa. The moment Lucky spotted him, it meowed and curled up in his lap. Pei Yiyan’s slender fingers found its chin, scratching gently as Lucky purred contentedly.
By then, Shen Yuqing had finished applying the ointment. He turned his head and sighed honestly, whose cat was Lucky, really? He was the one who had rescued it, yet it treated him like a passing stranger.
Pei Yiyan lowered his head slightly, stroking the soft fur. He thought to himself, the owner is nothing but trouble, yet the cat he brought home is unbelievably well-behaved.
What a stark contrast.
He caught the scent of medicine and turned his head toward Shen Yuqing on the other side.
Today, Shen Yuqing was still just a blurry silhouette to him. He could make out that Shen Yuqing was lounging casually on the sofa.
He… seemed to be looking at him too.
Pei Yiyan saw Shen Yuqing’s figure move closer. Before he could decide how to react, he felt his arms empty. Good Luck had been taken by Shen Yuqing.
Then, in an utterly bizarre manner, Shen Yuqing buried his face into Good Luck’s back and rubbed against it.
Pei Yiyan: “…”
