The Villain Loaded My System

Chapter 32

“What are you doing?”

Lu Mingren’s voice interrupted the suddenly ambiguous atmosphere in the corridor.

Lu Ziqing removed his hand from Gu Xiyu’s mouth as his father walked over, inexplicably feeling a little guilty.

Gu Xiyu covered his neck, which was bitten to the point of pain, and met Lu Mingren’s gaze: “Mr. Lu?”

Lu Mingren looked at the two of them for a long time before handing Gu Xiyu a bag: “These are nutritional products that my father specially asked someone to prepare for you, there are also some that need to be boiled that I put in the kitchen, Auntie Zhang will bring them to you every day according to the prescribed time.”

Gu Xiyu’s hand was ready to take the bag, but he hesitated, “…… Isn’t it too much, I didn’t do anything.”

Lu Mingren: “To my father, you’re his lifesaver, that alone is enough.”

“Anyway, I just came up to deliver the things, you can do whatever you want with them after.”

Seeing that Gu Xiyu did not reply, Lu Ziqing directly grabbed the bag in Lu Mingren’s hand and pushed it into his arms: “Take it; you shouldn’t be polite with the Lu family.”

Lu Mingren had finished his task and intended to leave, but before leaving, he suddenly glanced at Lu Ziqing with an odd look in his eyes.

Gu Xiyu thought that Lu Mingren was thinking that the way he and Lu Ziqing were behaving earlier was inappropriate, but to his surprise, the other party patted Lu Ziqing on the head and, after hesitating for a long time, said, “Although Mr. Gu is not much older than you, he is now your elder, so you’d better be more respectful and don’t bully him like you used to bully the others.”

“Oh, Little Gu, I received a call from Ziqing’s class teacher when I was at work this afternoon, saying that he has been well-behaved lately. The boy doesn’t listen very well, and it must be hard to guide him in his homework.” Lu Mingren’s attitude towards Gu Xiyu was much better, “If he treats you badly, you should let me know.”

Gu Xiyu felt Lu Ziqing’s tense body suddenly relax, and he replied to Lu Mingren with a smile, “Okay, I understand.”

As soon as Lu Mingren left, they entered Lu Ziqing’s room, and the boy’s mouth became unorthodox again: “Little mom, will you really tell my father if I behave badly?”

“Then what can be considered bad behavior?”

Gu Xiyu patted Lu Ziqing’s back but did it so hard that the other party couldn’t help coughing, then he replied, “You can try and find out.”

“……” The injuries Gu Xiyu gave him the day they first met seemed to have started hurting again.

Gu Xiyu spent a few days running around before finally getting Xie Chunhua a new place to live. It was a two-bedroom apartment with a modest rent. There was a lot of activity around, there were many neighbors, and there was a security guard downstairs, so there was no need to worry about basic security.

The owner was a woman in her forties with an easygoing personality, and Gu Xiyu was quick to sign a contract with her and pay six months’ rent and a deposit. Then he went to help Xie Chunhua pack up on Saturday.

The small, crowded house was filled with boxes of all sizes.

Gu Xiyu went into the kitchen and caught the can that was rattling around the small table just before it fell.

Then Xie Chunhua’s flustered voice came from the front door: “Oh, young man, these suitcases are too heavy! Put them down for now, I’ll get Ah Yu to come and help you!”

“It’s okay, Auntie; they are not heavy.”

“Oh, then I have to apologize for inconveniencing you. You don’t have class on Saturday and should be having fun with your classmates, and yet Ah Yu asked you to come over and help me move.”

“It’s nothing to do with Brother, I was the one who offered to come over and help.”

“Aiya, how can you be so understanding at such a young age ……”

Gu Xiyu looked back in the direction of the living room after putting the can of soybeans into the small box he had just carried into the kitchen.

He saw Lu Ziqing carrying a suitcase in each hand and walking towards the door at a steady pace, his voice soon disappearing along with Xie Chunhua at the stairway entrance to the long corridor.

Knowing that he was coming to help Xie Chunhua move, the Great Demon got up early in the morning and volunteered to come and help.

The 50 risk value points on the panel were so striking that he lowered his eyes and thought to himself, ‘It’s the second world, and the Great Demon is still not acting like a villain. Sure enough, proper guidance must start at a young age.’

Was the Great Demon just like the other beasts that came to the space-time realm and killed people indiscriminately?

After gathering the things on the small dining table, Gu Xiyu carried a few more empty boxes to the small compartment containing miscellaneous items. Inside were all the things he had brought from their previous home, mostly small items that the original owner’s grandfather had left to him and his mother.

After the original owner’s grandfather died, Gu Sichuang sold the house he left behind and took the money to gamble, all that was left were these small, miscellaneous items as souvenirs. Xie Chunhua told him to remember to go and pack up some of the important ones inside and take those he wanted.

The compartment was very small, and some of the things were already dusty. Gu Xiyu spent some time cleaning up and suddenly found a wooden box stuffed deep on the shelf. The wooden box was the size of his palms and had many small crayon drawings on it in the form of people and animals, looking full of childlike innocence.

This should be something from the original owner’s childhood. Gu Xiyu thought as he opened the lid of the box with a gentle push of his fingers. There were many small toys stuffed inside, including a small game console that looked a lot like an egg. He took it out with curiosity and pressed it, not surprised to find that it no longer activated. There were also several Pokemon cards in the box, and as he looked at them casually and rearranged them to close the box, he suddenly noticed a piece of paper stuck in the middle of the box. It was hard to notice at first glance because the yellowed corner of the paper was almost the same color as the wooden box.

He couldn’t get it out without tearing it, and only after studying it for a while did he realize that the box had a laminated design.

There was a sudden clatter of something falling in the room, accompanied by an unpleasant, angry curse. He paused and closed the wooden box before putting it in the moving box and then returning to the living room with the things in his arms.

All the things that had been placed on the sofa had been pushed off, and the uneaten biscuits were scattered all over the floor. Gu Sichuang smelt of stale wine, his face was red; and he was lying in an indecent posture on the sofa, cursing under his breath, “What the hell is blocking my way.”

Gu Xiyu glanced at him without making a sound and bent down to put the boxes containing the miscellaneous items from the compartment together with those that he was going to take away.

Something hard suddenly hit him on the head, causing his head to buzz for a moment before he recovered.

At his feet was a broken ornament of a little couple in their wedding dress. He touched his forehead and frowned slightly when he saw the red liquid staining his fingers.

Gu Sichuang had sat up at some point, his eyes hazy and hostile. He was glaring at him and about to say something when a man suddenly rushed in through the door and punched him hard in the face.

Gu Xiyu wondered why he had to be hit on the head every time he came to a world, but the guy who came to him after punching Gu Sichuang looked even more nervous than he was: “How are you? Do you feel concussed? Do you need me to take you to the hospital to check it out?”

“…… I’m fine.” Gu Xiyu replied.

Gu Sichuang seemed to have sobered with Lu Ziqing’s punch: “Where did that brat come from? How dare you hit this old man?”

Xie Chunhua stared blankly at Gu Sichuang from the door for a long time, and gradually became angry and red-eyed. She grabbed the broom beside her and hit the drunken Gu Sichuang as she screeched: “Are you sick?! Are you sick?!!”

“What else do you do besides going out drinking and gambling? It’s fine if you come back and hit me, but now you’re hitting your son! Gu Sichuang, you are not a man, I want to divorce you, divorce!”

Gu Sichuang was beaten into a daze.

This was the first time Xie Chunhua had ever hit him, and he was so dumbfounded that he forgot to dodge, and when he came to his senses and realized that something was wrong, he grabbed the broom and asked angrily, “Are you crazy? How dare you hit me?”

He spotted the stranger, Lu Ziqing, in the house and looked behind him at the expressionless Gu Xiyu before noticing that the living room was full of things, as if they were preparing to move.

“What are you guys doing with all this stuff in the middle of the day?”

Xie Chunhua huffed, “We can’t live here anymore, you can stay alone if you like! I want to divorce you!”

“Are you drunk too? What nonsense are you talking about?”

Gu Xiyu found the backpack he had brought with him and took out the prepared papers. “This is the divorce agreement; my mother has already signed it, please just sign it too.”

He had planned to wait until everything was packed before leaving these documents on the coffee table, but he didn’t expect Gu Sichuang to come back early.

“Brat, are you upset that I sent you to the Lu family, so you encouraged your mother to do such a thing?” Gu Sichuang’s thoughts were still a little sluggish, but he was not completely confused. “I won’t sign!”

Gu Xiyu said calmly, “It’s fine if you don’t sign; let’s go to court.”

“I took mom to the hospital for an examination, and now I’m thanking you for offering another reason that could improve our chances of winning the case.” Gu Xiyu pointed to the injury on his forehead and added, “You have done much over the years, and any neighbor can be our witness for all those bad habits.”

“It’s just that a lawsuit would cost money, me and mom can afford it, but I’m not so sure about you. So, are you sure you want to go to all this trouble?”

Gu Sichuang was stunned into silence. Gu Xiyu finished and continued to move his things, saying, “Mom, I’ve put everything in the kitchen into this box and sorted them out too; see if there’s anything else you want to take; if there’s not enough space, we’ll call another car.”

“Okay.” Xie Chunhua wiped the tears that had come out of her eyes from her anger, ignored Gu Sichuang, who was still trying to get a grip on the situation, and walked into her room.

Lu Ziqing didn’t interrupt from the beginning to the end, only giving Gu Sichuang a cold glance as he helped Gu Xiyu carry the boxes downstairs.

He found sterilized cotton and band-aids from the car and carefully cleaned the cut while Gu Xiyu was talking on the phone.

When Gu Xiyu raised his eyes, he saw Lu Ziqing’s brow furrowed tightly, his eyes staring at his wound with concentration and slight irritation. “Your father is too cruel; what if the fragments hurt your eyes?”

“Although it’s inappropriate to say this,” Gu Xiyu said softly, “you were quite handsome when you punched my father.”

Lu Ziqing pursed his lips and couldn’t resist giving his face a firm squeeze. It was only when Gu Xiyu’s cheeks started to redden that he let go in satisfaction and murmured, “Grow up, you might get eaten by a big bad wolf one day.”

Xie Chunhua stumbled down the stairs with a box half her size, and Gu Xiyu rushed forward to take it: “Just let us handle the heavy ones.”

Xie Chunhua smiled and said, “It’s okay, I’m strong!”

“Did Dad give you a hard time?”

“How dare he? I’ll just take a pot and beat him!”

They were taking quite a lot of stuff with them and ended up calling another car to go with them to the newly rented house. Xie Chunhua let Gu Xiyu take Lu Ziqing’s car, while she got into the taxi that was following them.

The new apartment had an elevator, so there was no need to work as hard as in the old house. The security office also had a trolley that was loaned to the residents to carry heavy things, which was much more convenient.

“Wow, this place is a high-end apartment… Ah Yu, isn’t the rent too expensive?” The new home was several times bigger than the small, rundown house before. Xie Chunhua looked at the kitchen, which was even bigger than the living room of the old house, and suddenly got a little worried.

Gu Xiyu said, “No, in fact, Mr. Lu contacted his friend and got this place for us when he found out I was looking for a house for you. His friend is abroad all the time and bought this house at a low price since the seller was in a hurry. Now that you are living here, it is like having another person to help her look after the house and tidy it up. Her family is not short of money, so she was willing to rent it out at a low price.”

Thanks to Lu Ziqing’s good behavior, Lu Mingren’s attitude towards him now could be described as a “hundred and eighty-degree change.” Although he didn’t get along with him as a partner, he was much more polite to him and even offered to help when he discovered he was looking for a house for Xie Chunhua.

Xie Chunhua looked relieved: “Seeing that the Lu family treats you well, Mom is relieved.”

Lu Ziqing rested his hands on the trolley, a rare smile on his lips as he said meaningfully, “Brother Gu is a treasure in our family, he must be treated well.”

Gu Xiyu had a ‘shut your nonsense’ look on his face as he glanced at Lu Ziqing. He took the trolley from him and went back downstairs to bring up more things.

The stainless steel door of the apartment next door was suddenly pushed open, and a girl’s voice came through: “Brother, you don’t have to come over if you’re busy; we’re just going to the nearby bookstore to buy some reference books for our final exams; we’ll be right back, don’t worry.”

Gu Xiyu felt that the voice was a bit familiar, so he looked back and was caught off guard by Lin Mianmian’s equally surprised eyes.

“Xixi?!” Lin Mianmian exclaimed, and when she saw Lu Ziqing beside him, she subconsciously asked, “You two are ready to live together so soon?!”

Gu Xiyu: “……?”

Xie Chunhua happened to come out of the house and blinking blankly, said, “Ah Yu, is this your friend?”

Gu Xiyu nodded, “This is Ziqing’s classmate, they go to the same school. Mianmian, you live here?”

Lin Mianmian snapped back to her senses, “Ah, yes.”

“I just rented the place for my mother, I didn’t expect you to be right next door.” Gu Xiyu explained.

“So that’s how it is ……” Perhaps it was an illusion, but Gu Xiyu thought he saw a flash of disappointment in Lin Mianmian’s eyes.

Then again, he remembered that Lin Mianmian had said that she and Xu Chengxuan were neighbors. Since her house is right here, that means ……

Gu Xiyu had just looked at Lu Ziqing when the door opposite Xie Chunhua’s new apartment opened as well.

“Reference books are so expensive now, I’ll give you another two hundred, okay? If you’re hungry when you get back, take Mianmian to get something to eat.” The warmly dressed woman smiled as she walked out, saying as she slipped two red notes to her son, who was following her, her eyes full of concern.

The expression on Xu Chengxuan’s face was not as cold as before, and just as he was about to refuse, he noticed the people in the corridor and looked up.

Zhou Tianyi also noticed their presence and froze for a moment before hurriedly saying, “Hello, are you the new neighbors?”

Her eyes paused on Lu Ziqing for a few more seconds, but she didn’t seem to recognize him immediately. Lin Mianmian on the side hurriedly explained the situation to her before she suddenly realized, “That’s quite a coincidence.”

“Yeah, my favorite anchor is my brother’s classmate, and now his mother has moved in as my neighbor!”

The smile on Lu Ziqing’s face vanished the moment he saw Zhou Tianyi, leaving only incomprehensible darkness in his eyes. Gu Xiyu was just about to pull him away when he broke free from his hand and walked in front of Zhou Tianyi, his eyes staring straight at her and saying in a cold voice: “Hello, I’m from the same school as Xu Chengxuan, my name is Lu Ziqing.”

“Lu as in land, Zi as in child, and Qing as in the azure sky.”

Zhou Tianyi’s expression clearly froze at these words, and she could only stare blankly at the much taller boy in front of her. Xu Chengxuan looked at his mother’s increasingly pale face in confusion, thinking that she was frightened by Lu Ziqing’s aura, and slightly shielded her behind him before stepping in front of Lu Ziqing with a low warning, “This is not a school, you better not mess around with my family.”

[[Target’s risk value is +10; the risk value is now 60.]]

Lu Ziqing didn’t reply, but it was Zhou Tianyi who pulled Xu Chengxuan: “Don’t argue with your classmates, mom is fine.”

Gu Xiyu only felt the oppressive pressure from the Great Demon get heavier.

Lu Ziqing sneered, “It’s good that the mother is kind and the son is filial.”

Zhou Tianyi behind Xu Chengxuan stiffened again, and Gu Xiyu was not surprised to hear the system broadcast.

[[Target’s risk value is +10; the risk value is now 70.]]

Gu Xiyu thought to himself that if he didn’t stop it, it would probably rise to 100, so he took a deep breath and raised his hand to tug on Lu Ziqing’s ear. The latter broke away from that heavy emotion and looked at him incredulously as he met his gaze indifferently: “There are still a bunch of things waiting to be moved up; don’t be lazy.”

“Let’s go.”

Lu Ziqing remained silent, allowing Gu Xiyu to push the trolley and take him away from that place. The slightly long bangs covered his eyes as he bowed his head, hiding the emotions in his eyes.

At least the risk value didn’t continue to rise.

From the time they went downstairs to the time they stacked the trolley, neither Gu Xiyu nor Lu Ziqing said anything. Gu Xiyu was fine, he was only focused on trying to get the stuff upstairs as soon as possible.

He had just closed the rear compartment when the melancholy boy suddenly reached out and took him into his arms, sending shivers down his spine as his head rested on his shoulder.

Gu Xiyu knew Lu Ziqing’s situation, so he didn’t push him away, only sighing softly.

———-

“…… Lin Mianmian, what are you doing?” Xu Chengxuan, who was preoccupied with his thoughts, had just walked out of the gate with Lin Mianmian when she suddenly threw him onto a stone pillar beside them.

Lin Mianmian leaned into his arms, shaking her head restlessly: “Shh, don’t make a sound.”

Xu Chengxuan’s heart sped up uncontrollably as he felt the sweet fragrance of the young girl’s body gradually envelop him. He tried to push her away, but was constantly stopped: “Don’t move!”

Lin Mianmian’s heart was also beating extremely fast, but it was because she accidentally saw the two men hugging together not far away.

God, why did she have to see this loving image?!

“Xu Chengxuan’s mother is also my mother.” Lu Ziqing hugged Gu Xiyu for a while before his mood gradually calmed down and he managed to whisper this.

Not long after Zhou Tianyi and Lu Mingren divorced and she moved away, five-year-old Lu Ziqing once carried a small schoolbag and took the bus and the subway to the place where she and Xu Chengxuan’s father lived.

At that time, he stood under a big tree and saw the couple happily playing with a three-year-old boy in the park. They held the boy’s arms and easily lifted him into the air, his face beaming with the happiness of being pampered.

He sat alone under a tree until dark, and finally found the opportunity to meet Zhou Tianyi.

She happened to be going to a nearby convenience store, so Little Lu ran up to her and hugged her, asking her when she would come back to see him.

It took Zhou Tianyi a while to realize who he was, and she called Lu Mingren in shock and anger: “How do you look after the child? He’s still so young, and you let him come all the way out here to see me by himself?”

When Lu Mingren came to pick him up, he had another fight with Zhou Tianyi. Before they parted, Zhou Tianyi told him cruelly, “Don’t come to see me again, I think of your father and the nightmare of living in the Lu family as soon as I see you. Your father has a lot of money and can give you a good life.”

When they returned, Lu Mingren scolded Lu Ziqing severely: “Can’t you see that your mother has a happy new life now? You will only destroy her family!”

Not long afterward, Lu Mingren moved him to a new city to start a new life.

And from that day on, Lu Ziqing never asked to see his mother again.

[Isn’t it funny?]

The mechanical voice of the intelligent system suddenly rang out.

Gu Xiyu: “?”

[Lu Ziqing is a child without a father and a mother’s love. Don’t you think such a person is pathetic?]

“No, I just think he’s stupid.”

“Life is your own, all decisions and actions should be for yourself, not for others.”

“Life is short, there are plenty of people with bad parents, should we choose to be miserable because of this? If one has that ability, they should try to live a better life for themselves and let the other party know that it’s their loss for abandoning their child.”

Gu Xiyu replied to the system in his mind, his gaze gradually becoming lost in thought again, as if he were caught up in some memory.

Only after a long time did he say to the system, “Besides, doesn’t the target still have me?”

Gu Xiyu didn’t notice that Lu Ziqing, who was hugging him, suddenly froze after he said this and only raised his hand to pat him on the back to comfort him, “It’s okay.”

“Don’t worry, if I am no longer your little mom someday in the future, I can still….”

Lu Ziqing leaned on Gu Xiyu’s shoulder without saying anything, wondering why his heart was racing because of the pause in his sentence, and an absurd thought came to his mind.

That was until Gu Xiyu went on to add: “I can also be your father.”

Lu Ziqing: “?”