The Spoiled Little Beauty is Always Abusing the Protagonist [Quick Transmigration] 5

Chapter 5: The Spoiled Villain in a Period Novel 5

This was the storage room, filled with a lot of useless things. It used to be the room where Xu Nongqing’s grandparents slept. After they passed away, he rarely came in here.

This time, he had set up a new bed board to stay here.

The board was a bit narrow, barely able to accommodate his tall, slender frame. Xu Nongqing was lying on it, sleeping on his side, his eyes half-closed, not yet asleep.

A moment later.

The sound of hurried footsteps.

Xu Nongqing opened his dark eyes and glanced towards the door. The next second, he saw the boy’s slender figure rushing towards him, and a cool touch seized his firm wrist.

Xu Nongqing froze.

The storage room had a dilapidated window.

Moonlight shone in from outside, casting thin shadows on the floor where dust motes danced.

He instinctively sat up. Through the moonlight, he saw Shu He’s reddened eyes. A single tear clung to his clean lower eyelid as he looked at him silently, looking utterly pitiful.

…Crying again.

The second time.

Xu Nongqing looked at Shu He. In the silence, his voice was also quiet.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a mouse.” Shu He sniffled and clutched Xu Nongqing’s wrist, lowering his head, unwilling to let him see his tears. The boy’s voice was a little soft. “There are spiders and flying bugs and cockroaches and centipedes.”

He choked back a sob. “They crawled onto my bed. They’ll bite people, won’t they?”

Xu Nongqing suddenly raised a hand and gently cupped Shu He’s sharp chin. Shu He looked at him in confusion, his almond eyes shimmering with unshed tears. His lowered head was lifted, revealing the clear tear tracks on his jaw.

He wasn’t afraid of giant monsters.

Because they were the family that had raised him.

In the past, Shu He couldn’t understand why people from other planets were afraid of his parents. His parents’ fur was long and soft, and their tails could curl around a person to sleep. They were like giant cats, so cool and cute. How could they be scary?

Now he understood.

The new humans were afraid of monsters, just as he was afraid of these small, hairy, ugly things.

Shu He sniffled and then paused, looking at Xu Nongqing. He realized Xu Nongqing was wiping away his tears.

The hand, calloused from years of labor, was a bit rough. As his thumb brushed against his soft skin, the tingling sensation left Shu He’s mind blank.

Huh…?

Why is the protagonist wiping my tears?

I was just bullying him during the day.

Shu He stared at Xu Nongqing, his eyes, which couldn’t hide his emotions, filled with intense curiosity. When Xu Nongqing met his gaze, he seemed to finally snap back to reality. His hand paused by Shu He’s lips and slowly lowered.

“I’ll go take a look.” He lowered his eyes, got up, and walked out. Shu He followed behind his tall figure, wiping his own tears with the back of his hand.

Xu Nongqing turned on the lightbulb.

He checked the four corners of the bed. The bedding was what Shu He had brought from the city, all new, with a soft mattress underneath.

It was spotlessly clean, looking completely out of place in this dilapidated house.

After checking, he went to the door, took the broom, and swept away the flying insects fluttering in the corner.

There were no mice, cockroaches, or centipedes, just flying insects.

They were unavoidable this season; there were many small bugs. Xu Nongqing had never used a bed curtain before because there was no need. But this spoiled young master from the city seemed to need one.

He paused for a moment, then turned back to look at Shu He. “I’ll install a bed curtain for you tomorrow.”

Shu He said peevishly, “Then what about tonight?”

“There are no more bugs.”

Xu Nongqing’s voice was detached. “I’ve swept them all away.”

“What if there are still some in the corners?” Shu He was not at all reassured. He paced around worriedly. “Here, and here, they all look like they’re hiding dirty things. Will you stay with me tonight? Sit by the bed and keep me company.”

Xu Nongqing looked at him without speaking.

Shu He pretended to cry.

He covered his eyes with his hand, peeking at Xu Nongqing through his fingers. He saw that Xu Nongqing’s dark eyes were like clear mirrors, silently seeing through his clumsy acting. He immediately let out a few fake sobs, then dropped the act, puffed out his cheeks, and turned to rummage through his luggage for some cash.

【Villain’s Guide to Evil-Doing, Rule X:

Treat money like dirt, and use it to insult the protagonist’s noble soul.】

“Here’s some money for you.”

Shu He threw the money at Xu Nongqing, his chin lifted, his beautiful peach-blossom eyes looking at him arrogantly, while in his mind, he was racking his brains for nasty things to say:

“You’ve never seen so much money in your life, have you? Hmph, take it all and serve me well.”

After speaking, without even looking at Xu Nongqing’s expression, he walked straight to the bed and dove under the covers.

“…”

Under the covers, Shu He was so nervous his fingers were twisted together.

He bit his pink lower lip, carefully listening to the sounds outside… It seemed Xu Nongqing had moved.

He seemed to have turned off the light.

And then—

Shu He felt the bed dip slightly.

His eyes flew open, and he poked his head out. In the darkness, he could only vaguely make out the silhouette of a man sitting on the edge of the bed.

At times like this, he felt the protagonist was particularly honest. It seemed that no matter how outrageous or unreasonable the request, he would silently agree.

Even though his features looked so sharp, like he was not to be trifled with…

As his mind wandered, Shu He’s lips curved, and a sweet little dimple appeared on his cheek. He quietly stuck out a leg and nudged Xu Nongqing through the blanket, like a kitten bumping heads to show affection.

Xu Nongqing.

When you rise to power in the future, don’t hit me, okay?

*

In the early morning, the autumn wind was bleak.

The sky was turning a fish-belly white, and accompanied by the chirping of birds, Butler Fang came to wake Shu He up for breakfast.

Shu He woke up as soon as he was called. He opened his sleepy eyes, his cheek pressed against the soft pillow. He lingered for a while before finally getting up.

He reached for the thin jacket at the head of the bed and put it on. Shu He looked around and asked, puzzled, “Where’s Xu Nongqing?”

“Mr. Xu went to the vegetable fields,” Butler Fang said. The people here relied on their small plots of land to live.

The weather was nice today, a rare day without rain. The sun was out, but it wasn’t hot.

If they started work early, they could rest early.

Hearing this, Shu He puffed out his cheeks and said, “Oh.”

He quickly got dressed and washed up. When he came out, Butler Fang was just bringing over a bowl of plain noodle soup. Shu He glanced at it, a little disappointed.

“I don’t want to eat this.”

He pursed his lips, feeling wronged.

Even when his health was bad before, his parents had never restricted his diet.

If you’re going to die anyway, and you have to live miserably on top of that, it’s even worse. Shu He refused to eat the plain noodle soup and turned his head away. “Call Xu Nongqing back. I want him to cook.”

Butler Fang said helplessly, “He’s the one who made these noodles.”

Huh?

Hearing this, Shu He’s eyes widened.

Speaking of which, Butler Fang also found it strange. “This Mr. Xu… he only cooked for himself and for you, Young Master. He didn’t make any for us.”

Only then did Shu He take the bowl. He lowered his head and sniffed it—the smell of plain, bland noodles. He took one bite and put it down, his mouth feeling dry.

“Do you think he poisoned it?”

Shu He hesitated, lowering his head. His fine black hair fell obediently across his forehead, his lips slightly pursed.

Butler Fang was startled by his words. After a moment, he said, “How could he!”

Their enmity wasn’t that deep.

Besides, it would be too obvious; it could be traced back with a single investigation.

“If the young master really doesn’t want to eat it, I’ll have Little Chen make something else.” Butler Fang looked at Shu He lovingly. “What would the young master like to eat?”

Shu He had no appetite.

He shook his head, then searched his memory for a special delicacy from this era. “I want to eat spicy strips.”

“Candy is fine too.”

Butler Fang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his serious expression. “How can you eat those for breakfast?”

“But that’s what I want to eat.”

Shu He was always unconsciously whining, his habit of drawing out the last syllable a result of being spoiled. He looked at Butler Fang with wide eyes. Butler Fang quickly gave in, thinking it would be just this once. He went to get some candy.

A box of soft candies. There were no spicy strips.

When they came, no one had packed such junk food. Butler Fang explained this to Shu He. Although Shu He was a little greedy for the taste of this antique snack, he still nodded obediently and didn’t pester Butler Fang for it.

He took the small tin box of soft candies and walked outside. “I’m going to find Xu Nongqing.”

However, Butler Fang didn’t know where Xu Nongqing was either. “I’ll go ask the villagers.”

Shu He followed Butler Fang.

It was easy to find out his location. The fields weren’t far from here. Before leaving, Shu He changed into a simple tracksuit. He stepped out in his new shoes, wearing a new watch, and dashed off with boundless youthful energy.

“Young Master! Don’t run so fast! Be careful of your health!”

Butler Fang was over fifty; how could he outrun a young man, even if that young man was frail? He panted as he watched the boy’s retreating back, unable to help but think—

It’s been a long time since the young master was this lively.

*

The fields were filled with the figures of hardworking people.

Shu He ran and stopped, a candy in his mouth. His constitution was really poor; he had to stop to catch his breath after running just a short distance. His already pale face looked even paler under the sun, his lips slightly parted as he panted softly.

He decided to slow down and look for the protagonist’s figure.

At the same time, he took out the villain’s guide the system had given him to review.

Shu He walked on, not noticing that, at some point, more and more furtive glances were being cast his way from the fields.

The sun had fully risen.

The hardworking villagers stopped their work, some covertly, some boldly, looking at the boy walking on the small path.

The boy was slender and tall, his tracksuit making him look sharp and refined. His posture was light and his back was straight. He was completely out of place in the dusty, muddy surroundings.

Whispers rose around them…

“Old Wang, I remember you have a pretty daughter…”

“Village Head Wang’s sister-in-law’s daughter is the prettiest girl in our village. She’s even a university student. She should be back for New Year’s. Why not set them up?”

“I’m telling you, the young master has to be interested first.”

At these words, there was a moment of silence.

But soon, the air was filled with a lively atmosphere again. “Hey! You know what they say, cook the rice before it’s done!” (T/N: A saying that means to force a relationship, often through pregnancy.)

“Isn’t that how it always goes on TV? These rich families care most about having children.”

“I saw he brought bodyguards. Those bodyguards have arms this big. Don’t you all do anything stupid.”

They whispered among themselves, plotting how to turn this rich man into a son-in-law of Wang Family Village. As they talked, several pairs of dark eyes kept drifting towards Shu He.

They shouldn’t have had the guts to plot against such a rich person.

But who could blame them—

This rich person looked far too harmless, beautiful, and fragile.

—

Shu He was unaware of these secret plots against him. He was still seriously reading the Complete Guide to Villainy in his hands, occasionally looking up to scan his surroundings.

After a while, a familiar tall figure finally came into view.

Shu He quickly closed the book, sped up, and rushed over, snatching the hoe from the man’s hands from behind.

“Xu Nongqing!”

Under the hot sun, Xu Nongqing looked up, startled. He followed the voice and saw Shu He, holding the hoe, looking up at him with a smile. The boy’s almond eyes were bright, his expression cheerful, and the dimples on his cheeks were as vivid as a cat that had just gotten into mischief.

It felt like that cat had stepped on his heart with its paw.

And left behind a bloody, mottled wound.