Ah! The Villains I Forced to Turn Evil Can Read My Mind-Chapter 256
Shi Yu flusteredly lowered his head, as if he had committed some grave mistake, guiltily pressing a hand to his chest. "I'm sorry, Mr. Shen. I genuinely think highly of you. I didn’t expect you to get angry."
He looked at Shen Zhuoyan with an appeasing gaze. "My apologies."
Shen Zhuoyan: "..."
For some reason, this guy apologizing only made him angrier.
Qiao Chuchu tightened Shi Yu’s cardigan around him. "It’s not your fault. Shen Zhuoyan just has a bit of a temper. Don’t take it to heart."
She turned to Shen Zhuoyan. "Go wait outside for me."
Shen Zhuoyan, suppressing his irritation, said nothing more and strode out.
Now, only the two of them remained in the room.
The corners of Shi Yu’s lips twitched upward briefly before he quickly schooled his expression into concern. "Miss Qiao, you should go check on Mr. Shen. I’ll be fine."
Qiao Chuchu helped him sit on the sofa. "It’s fine. He’s always been like that—even back in school."
She kept her eyes fixed on Shi Yu, as if watching a bomb about to explode.
[Most importantly, this guy better not pass out. If he collapses while alone with me, no amount of explaining will clear my name!]
Shi Yu froze for a moment before smiling faintly. "Mr. Shen was your classmate?"
"Yes." Qiao Chuchu rubbed her hands awkwardly. "We were desk mates in our first and second years of high school."
Shi Yu lowered his gaze, his eyes shifting slowly. "Two years as desk mates… You must have been very close, then?"
Qiao Chuchu answered honestly. "We got along well. Neither of us was particularly liked back then. He had no friends, and neither did I, so we became each other’s."
Shi Yu nodded, then asked curiously, "But if he attended the same school as you, doesn’t that mean his family background is also decent? Why didn’t he take over his family’s business and instead became your bodyguard?"
Qiao Chuchu weighed her words before replying. "He didn’t get along with his family. For various reasons, he couldn’t find a good job—kept getting harassed wherever he went, plus he had some enemies. So I offered him the position as my bodyguard."
Shi Yu’s expression darkened slightly as he stared at her. "In that case, he must be very grateful to you, right?"
Qiao Chuchu nodded. "He likes the job well enough."
Shi Yu’s smile deepened. "Just the job?"
Without hesitation, she replied, "Well, the pay too! I offer a pretty high salary!"
Shi Yu paused, then burst into laughter. "Hah!"
Qiao Chuchu blinked, baffled. "What’s so funny?"
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Shi Yu shook his head, offering no explanation, and smoothly changed the subject. "Miss Qiao, what I said to you earlier was too presumptuous. I was too hasty and didn’t consider your feelings. I know you’re not the kind of person who values wealth above all else. Offering money for your hand in marriage was terribly rude of me."
Qiao Chuchu: "Uh, no, I *am* the kind of person who values wealth."
Shi Yu: "…?"
He took a deep breath and continued calmly, "Regardless, it was still inappropriate for me to propose such a transaction."
Qiao Chuchu’s expression turned solemn. "No, my dude. If you’re offering *billions* to marry me, there’s no one more polite than you. The only shame is that we can’t get divorced afterward."
Shi Yu: "…What a pity indeed."
He then added, "Then let’s just be friends from now on. It seems being near you gives me strength."
Qiao Chuchu looked surprised. "Really?"
"Really." Shi Yu met her gaze. "If you choose me as the male lead, I might recover and become a healthy person. But even if you don’t, as long as I stay by your side as a friend, under these circumstances, I can still survive. And as long as I’m alive, I’ll be content."
She hesitated. "But what if your improvement is just a coincidence? What if it’s all in our heads?"
"This body is mine. I can feel it." Shi Yu spoke earnestly. "Last time I was near you, I had the strength to stand. This time, it’s even clearer—I woke up from unconsciousness. So there *is* a connection between us."
Qiao Chuchu listened, dumbfounded. "So I’m basically your human charger?"
Shi Yu chuckled. "Exactly. The downside is, the moment I leave you, I lose power. So how about this…"
He leaned closer, his fingers slowly brushing against hers, his eyes locked onto hers with unwavering focus.
"I’ll move into your place. I’ll pay rent, and I’ll see you every day. That way, I can recharge, and it won’t inconvenience you. Does that sound acceptable?"
Qiao Chuchu: "?"
---
Shen Zhuoyan stood in the hallway, the more he thought about it, the more unsettled he felt.
He pulled out his phone and opened the group chat that had been silent for days:
**「I’m at some guy’s house with Qiao Chuchu right now.」**
Pei Buxian: **「?」**
Pei Youchuan: **「?」**
Pei Mu: **「?」**
Pei Ci: **「?」**
Lin Qing: **「!」**
After a moment of deliberation, he typed:
**「This guy started complimenting me the moment he saw me—said I was strong, then went on about how frail *he* was. He even played the piano for Qiao Chuchu, saying he couldn’t protect her like I could, so he’d just play music for her instead. It rubbed me the wrong way, so I snapped at him. Was I too harsh?」**
Pei Buxian: **「???」**
Pei Youchuan: **「???」**
Pei Mu: **「???」**
Pei Ci: **「???」**
Weisheng Huailing: **「? Are you actually this dense or just pretending?」**
Weisheng Biehe: **「@Shen Zhuoyan Where did this fool even come from?」**
Weisheng Lin: **「From my company, apparently.」**
Lin Qing: **「Shen Zhuoyan, *you’re* the one who went too far! How could you yell at that poor guy? You’re so strong, and he’s so weak… (covers face in tears)」**
Weisheng Yucan copied: **「Shen Zhuoyan, *you’re* the one who went too far! How could you yell at that poor guy? You’re so strong, and he’s so weak! (covers face in tears)」**
Shen Zhuoyan: **「…So I *was* in the wrong?」**
Pei Buxian: **「You absolute moron! Wrong my ass! That guy was using your strength to highlight his own weakness—he’s playing the victim to win Qiao Chuchu’s sympathy! And Qiao Chuchu has *always* been weak to that kind of act!!!」**
Pei Fengnong: **「@Pei Buxian So *that’s* why you’re always pulling the ‘poor me’ act around her?」**
Pei Buxian: **「And it works like a charm. Don’t believe me? Ask Weisheng Huailing.」**
Weisheng Huailing: **「Sorry, can’t help you there. I’m not acting—I really *am* pitiful.」**
Pei Buxian: **「Yeah, exactly like this bastard here. Get it now, Shen Zhuoyan?」**
Shen Zhuoyan: **「Huh? But he really *does* look sickly…」**
Pei Youchuan: **「I can’t take this anymore. Where are you right now? Are you at least staying close to Qiao Chuchu?」**
Shen Zhuoyan replied guilelessly: **「After I yelled at him, Qiao Chuchu told me to wait in the hallway.」**
Lin Shen: **「…」**
Ying Chen: **「…」**
Lou Tingsi: **「…」**
Pei Yuan: **「…」**
Pei Che: **「…」**
Pei Fengnong: **「…」**
Lou Yuejue: **「Big bro… don’t you see what’s happening here?」**
Shen Zhuoyan: **「I do. I really shouldn’t have shouted at him.」**
……
The chat was promptly flooded with an endless stream of ellipses.
Weisheng Wenzhan suggested, "Why don't you go apologize to him? And write a 5,000-word self-reflection while you're at it."
Shen Zhuoyan frowned. "Alright, I’ll do it after they finish talking."
Weisheng Huailing was baffled. "?? You’re seriously going to wait until they’re done talking??????"
Before Shen Zhuoyan could respond, the Shi family’s butler arrived at Shi Yu’s door and knocked.
"Mr. Shi, dinner is ready. Also, a friend of yours is here to see you."
Shi Yu opened the door, puzzled. "Who’s here to see me?"
The butler replied, "Mr. Ji Yanchuan."
Shi Yu: "?"
Shen Zhuoyan: "?"
Shen Zhuoyan’s phone buzzed incessantly in his hand.
The group chat was flooded with people tagging him.
They all seemed to be cursing him out.
He didn’t have time to read it, so he quickly typed back: "Hold on, Ji Yanchuan’s here. Probably looking for Qiao Chuchu again."
The group chat erupted with: "????????????????"
