The Downtrodden Villain In A Redemption Romance Novel Chapter 15
byXu Wen buried his face in his palms and rubbed hard. When he looked up again, his eyes still held a lingering frustration. The dense recruitment information crammed onto the screen made his temples throb.
In the narrow rental room, the only sounds were the tapping of the keyboard and the faint traffic noise from outside the window. Xu Wen glanced at the person sitting quietly on the bed, and the anxiety in his heart intensified. He had to find work quickly, or the next month’s rent and their living expenses would be unsecured.
“Customer service, meals and accommodation provided… Master’s degree required? Food delivery, must own an electric bike… Twelve yuan per hour?” He tapped the keyboard heavily, closing yet another unreliable job posting. “These days, there are more scammers than honest people.”
Just as he was getting restless and about to slam the laptop shut—
A pop-up suddenly appeared.
[48-Hour Rush Order! English Promotional Brochure Proofreading, Online Completion]
Xu Wen’s indifferent gaze suddenly fixed. He bolted upright, making the chair squeak.
His fingers flew across the touchpad, his eyes bright, and his breathing unconsciously softened. Rapid communication, submission of the test draft—every tap of the keyboard carried urgency.
When the “Successfully Hired” confirmation dialogue finally popped up on the screen, the pent-up anxiety instantly transformed into ecstasy. He sprang from the chair like a fully compressed spring, clutching the laptop as he rushed toward the bed—
“I found it! Lu Zong!”
He rushed to the bedside with the notebook computer, showing Lu Qingrang the precious line of hiring notification on the screen, his voice filled with unconcealed delight.
“Look! I got it! An online proofreading job, and they pay immediately upon completion!” A wide smile bloomed on his face. “Once the payment comes through, we can improve our meals!”
He was eager to share this joy with Lu Qingrang, like sharing spoils of war, though he didn’t expect a response.
However, just a moment after his voice fell.
An extremely hoarse and faint voice softly sounded:
“…I’m glad.”
Xu Wen froze completely, as if struck by a paralyzing spell. He stared at Lu Qingrang in disbelief.
Those peach blossom eyes, which were usually staring blankly into the void, were now slightly lowered, long eyelashes casting faint shadows on his pale cheeks. And those light-colored lips, which were always tightly pressed or downturned, were now curved upward in an extremely subtle arc.
It wasn’t an obvious smile; it was so faint that it was fleeting, like the weak moment when the ice and snow of early spring are about to melt, almost making one think it was an illusion. But it had indeed existed, a brief trace of pleasure blossoming on that perpetually lifeless face.
Xu Wen’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Xu Wen forcefully pressed his lips together, trying to suppress the urge to smile wildly. He lifted his chin slightly, attempting to maintain a casual, composed demeanor, even deliberately lowering his voice:
“Ahem, with a brother’s skill, finding a suitable job is easy peasy, isn’t it?”
However, the uncontrollable lightness in the tail end of his voice and the sparkling triumph flowing from the corners of his eyes completely betrayed his pretense of composure.
At the same time, his inner self was launching a full-scale, comprehensive bombardment of the System:
“System! System!! Did you see that! What is skill?! This is skill! Online translation! Easily handled! I just want to ask you, is there! Anyone! Else!”
“Quick! Praise me! Stop playing dead! I know you’re lurking! This work efficiency, this precise targeting, isn’t your brother awesome? Aren’t I super amazing?!”
Just then, the System’s notification sounded right on cue, landing on his boiling excitement:
[Target’s Redemption Value has reached: 5%!]
“Did you see that! 5%!” Xu Wen’s internal shout almost broke through the heavens. “Double happiness! Work and redemption flourishing together! Your brother told you I was the Chosen One! This progress, this efficiency, who dares say I’m not cut out for this?!”
He was already mentally planning how to spend the reward that hadn’t even arrived yet, and how to strike while the iron was hot to make the Redemption Value skyrocket.
He took a deep breath, feeling energized all over. When he looked back at Lu Qingrang, the smile on his face was as bright as the midday sun. It contained not only the joy of finding work but also the full confidence and boastfulness of, See, I really can do this.
He slightly raised his chin in Lu Qingrang’s direction, as if saying: Follow your brother, and you’ll eat meat; the good days are still ahead!
Lu Qingrang leaned quietly against the headboard, watching Xu Wen try to act calm yet excitedly show off. For the first time, the lively outline of the other person was clearly reflected in those usually vacant peach blossom eyes.
He tilted his head slightly, as if scrutinizing an intractable puzzle.
How long will he support me, this useless person?
This cold thought slid through his heart. He was currently unable to lift his hands or carry anything; even eating was a problem. He was completely a burden. What exactly was this person after?
Right… it must be pity.
His cheap, overflowing pity.
Lu Qingrang almost harshly defined Xu Wen’s efforts in his mind. He tried to use this conclusion to arm himself, building up his usual defense mechanism. He told himself that all kindness had a reason, and pity, as a reason, was both reasonable and… safe. Because it meant that this kindness was built upon sympathy and could be withdrawn at any time when the pity ran out.
That was fair.
He should have been satisfied with this explanation and calmly waited for that day to arrive.
But…
When the word ‘ending’ truly surfaced in his mind, imagining those eyes that were always bright looking at him turning cold, that noisy voice completely disappearing, and that body temperature carrying the scent of soap moving away…
A strange, stinging sensation unexpectedly clenched his heart.
It wasn’t severe pain, but like a tiny needle, pricking his already numb nerves, bringing a clear throb.
He… actually felt reluctant.
This realization stunned him. The feeling was subtle yet stubborn, like a tender shoot pushing through frozen ground in early spring—weak, yet proclaiming an undeniable existence.
He subconsciously curled his fingers, shifting his gaze away from Xu Wen and back toward the window, as if that could hide the ripple in his heart.
Outside the window was the most ordinary street scene, but at this moment, it seemed to take on a slightly different color in his eyes.
He didn’t know where this reluctance came from, nor what it meant.
Just as he didn’t know why this reckless person who barged into his life had violently carved a crack in his icy defenses, allowing long-absent light to sneak in.