The Downtrodden Villain In A Redemption Romance Novel Chapter 18

“Eat, let’s eat.”

Xu Wen repeated the words stiffly, his eyes uncontrollably darting toward Lu Qingrang’s face. Aside from the heavy, almost suffocating dead energy that had condensed the moment the news was released—nearly overlapping with the despair he’d seen at their first meeting—there was no visible abnormality on that face now.

This excessive calm, however, felt like a feather constantly scratching at Xu Wen’s heart, making him restless. He irritably ran his fingers through his already messy hair, feeling his mouth completely detach from his brain’s control, starting to babble nonsense on its own:

“Um… Mr. Lu, this porridge is really good, the heat is just right! If you ask me, with your skill, opening a breakfast shop would definitely be a hit! Much better than the one downstairs, seriously! Mr. Lu, did you secretly learn how to cook? Haha…”

Two dry laughs squeezed out of his throat.

—Ah!!! Help me!!! What the hell am I saying?! Open a breakfast shop?! Xu Wen, are you out of your damn mind?!

He roared frantically internally, his toes curling in embarrassment enough to dig a three-bedroom apartment into the sole of his shoe. He could even feel the cold System in his mind falling silent for a moment, seemingly speechless.

[…No comment.]

Even you, the artificial idiot, are looking down on me, aren’t you?!

He closed his eyes in despair, wishing he could perform a disappearing act on the spot.

Lu Qingrang gently set down his spoon. The crisp “tap” of the ceramic against the table interrupted Xu Wen’s awkward attempts at damage control.

He lifted his eyes, his gaze resting calmly on Xu Wen, his tone as light as a breeze that could dissipate at any moment:

“Stop calling me Mr. Lu.”

He paused, his voice devoid of any discernible emotion, merely stating a cold fact.

“You are not my assistant anymore.”

Xu Wen’s throat tightened, and all the prepared nonsense was choked back.

Lu Qingrang’s gaze shifted slightly, falling upon the noisy yet vibrant street scene outside the window.

“I don’t… want to die as much now,” he stated, as if discussing a trivial matter unrelated to himself. “But I won’t… keep imposing on you here either.”

There was no trace of petulance or negotiation in his words, only the flatness of resignation. He was like an item declared scrapped, having lost all value, and even the act of dying had become less pure and easy due to this person’s forceful intervention.

Where else could he go? He didn’t know. Just a sliver of ridiculous self-respect prevented him from comfortably accepting this inexplicable shelter. Perhaps when the other party’s patience ran out, or when his own broken body collapsed again, it would be time to leave.

The instant this thought surfaced, a faint, almost negligible sting came from a corner of his heart. He instinctively resisted delving into the source of that pain.

He dared not think about it, nor did he want to.

Listening to Lu Qingrang’s calm yet jarring words, Xu Wen’s mind was a mess. He was confused, and panicked.

Yet, at this moment, the System’s notification tone in his mind was inconsiderately ringing:

[Warning: Villain Despair Index has dropped below the Threshold. Current Despair Index: 98%.]

[Warning: Villain Despair Index is rising rapidly! Current Despair Index: 99%!]

[Warning: Villain Despair Index is rising rapidly! Current Despair Index: 100%! The Host’s mission is in critical danger! Please stabilize the target’s emotions immediately!]

The roller-coaster fluctuation of the Despair Index was practically dancing on his taut nerves.

The moment Lu Qingrang’s words fell, Xu Wen acted almost purely on instinct, suddenly reaching out and tightly gripping Lu Qingrang’s slender wrist.

“Look at me!” Xu Wen’s voice was hoarse from urgency, even carrying a tremor he hadn’t noticed himself. “Lu Qingrang, listen to me!”

He forced those peach blossom eyes, which were beginning to evade him, to meet his own. His gaze was burning, as if trying to incinerate all the defenses the other man had built up.

“Whether you believe it or not, there are things I must make clear today—I, Xu Wen, came here for you!”

The words burst out, carrying the courage of someone burning their bridges. He didn’t care how strange or easily misunderstood the statement sounded; he only knew he couldn’t let this person leave.

“Do you think saying that will make me let you go? Impossible!” The grip on the other man’s wrist tightened unconsciously, as if he feared the person before him would turn into a wisp of smoke and vanish if he let go. “I’m telling you, don’t even think about it!”

His tone was resolute, carrying an almost tyrannical persistence:

“As long as I, Xu Wen, have a bite to eat, I absolutely won’t let you, Lu Qingrang, starve! I’m laying down the law here, and I mean it!”

He spoke slowly, every word seemingly squeezed directly from his chest, carrying a scorching heat and a heavy weight.

The eyes that usually held a hint of mischief or anxiety now contained only pure, unadulterated resolve, staring directly into Lu Qingrang’s silent depths.

[Redemption Value fluctuation stopped. Current Redemption Value: 1.5%.]

The System’s notification finally settled, reporting a small but tangible increase in the number.

Xu Wen breathed heavily, still staring intently at Lu Qingrang, waiting for his reaction, or rather, waiting for a verdict.

His wrist was suddenly seized, the force inescapable, the temperature scalding. Lu Qingrang trembled slightly, instinctively wanting to pull back, but he was firmly locked in place by that strength, forced to look up and meet a pair of eyes burning with intense fire.

Came here for me?

Absurd, utterly absurd. What was there about him—a broken person who had lost everything and was indifferent to life and death—that would make someone come for him? This felt more like a carefully woven lie, or another calculation he hadn’t yet seen through.

But… Xu Wen’s gaze was too direct, too scorching. The anxiety and worry churning within it were blindingly real. There was no pity, none of the hypocritical pleasantries he was accustomed to, only a stubborn… possessiveness?

“As long as I, Xu Wen, have a bite to eat, you, Lu Qingrang, will have a bite to eat!”

The statement was crude, direct, and devoid of any rhetoric, yet it struck like a heavy hammer, shattering the calm facade he tried to maintain. His heart felt suddenly clenched by something, sending a sharp, sour ache through him.

How long had it been? How long since he had heard such an undisguised, almost savage promise?

He tried to find a trace of insincerity or wavering in those eyes, but saw only a burning sincerity that made him want to retreat.

Logic screamed warnings; past betrayals and hurts surged like a cold tide, reminding him of the cost of trust.

Yet his body betrayed his will. The scorching heat from the other man’s palm on his wrist felt like an electric current, burning its way through him, causing his long-chilled limbs and bones to feel a faint, shameful warmth.

The thoughts of leaving and giving up, which had been swirling in his mind, suddenly seemed pale and powerless under that gaze.

He lowered his eyelids, avoiding the overly intense stare. His long lashes cast faint shadows on his pale cheeks, concealing the complex emotions churning within.

Finally, he let out a nearly inaudible “Mm,” a sound of compromise that he himself didn’t understand.

The response was as light as a sigh, yet it seemed to have drained all his strength at that moment.

(Then… trust one more time?)

(Perhaps, just perhaps, this time… it will be different?)

This faint, almost imperceptible thought quietly emerged.